Indian Weekender 15 January 2016

15 January, 2016 • Vol. 7 Issue 41 • www.iwk.co.nz

NZ’s first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

The pulse of Kiwi-Indians

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CONTENTS

15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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New Zealand

AirAsia X returns to New Zealand skies

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India Abroad Nikki Haley seen as potential Republican Vice Presidential pick Pg

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Techmate CES 2016—the magnificent seven

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Opinion/Editorial Why is the US turning Indian students back?

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Travel Maldives: to the sunny side of life

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Face of the Week A master storyteller

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Makar Sankranti—a multi-cultural sun festival Ram Lingam

the Sun is symbol of the Supreme.

The Rig Veda declares that the “Sun is the soul of both moving and unmoving beings”. The daily chanting of the famous Gayatri Mantra invokes the Sun (Savitur) to manifest intelligence and wisdom. For those who like reading the horoscope in the newspaper, Sun (in all astrology— western and Vedic) signifies the individual self, self-esteem, eyes, personality, higher office and our spirit.

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akar Sankranti is a festival for all natureloving people. After all, our world is illumined only by the light of the Sun and its life giving rays. Here are three aspects of Makar Sankranti that will hopefully add clarity to why this festival is important.

Makar Sankranti means...

Makar is the sign of Capricorn in our Zodiac and the word ‘Sankranti’ comes from the words ‘sam’ meaning good and ‘kranthi’ meaning change. So a change for good. Another simpler meaning for Sankranti comes from the word sankramana meaning transits. Only the navagrahas (five planets, two nodes of the moon, the moon and the Sun) transit as far as astrology goes.

Every month the Sun transits into one of the 12 signs of the Zodiac.

On Makar Sankranti day, the splendid Sun enters the sign of

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Why Makar Sankranti is a multi-cultural Sun festival?

Makar (Capricorn). For many, the entry of the Sun begins its journey into the Northern Hemisphere.

From this day onwards, the days slowly start becoming longer and warmer.

Rejoicing on solar events The importance of the Sun to life on Earth is a no-brainer.

Nature is an integral part of life.

The position of the sun on the sky implies change in climate and weather patterns affecting agriculture and vegetation. So no Sun, no fun. No Sun, no seasons.

No Sun, no life. No Sun, no rotation. No Sun, no time. In fact, No Sun, no Sunday.

For spiritual aspirants, it is the Sun, which is the symbol of manifest divinity. In the highest philosophy of India i.e. Vedanta,

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Indians over millennia have indeed perfected the art of being in line with nature and divinity. Add to that a dose of dharma and the practice of seeing the divine, you have a rich Hindu festival. Then make sweets and savoury and give that bhog (acknowledgement) to the divine, you have a memorable festival bringing joy and harmony to everyone. It is not a coincidence that almost all important

astronomical events have a significance in nourishing the India’s cultural life and calendar.

Cosmic actions relate to human life and has been incorporated in the Indian cultural calendar.

No wonder it is a product of the longest, continuous civilisation.

A cosmic event is a scientific empirical phenomena and bringing it to human life is to integrate a culture of syncing spirituality and nature.

Makar Sankranti is also a multicultural festival. It is celebrated in many states of India, including countries in South East Asia. It is the day of the Pongal harvest festival in Tamil Nadu. In Gujarat, it is celebrated with colourful kite flying, which also implies that the divine holds the kite-strings (sutradhaar) of our lives. In Uttar Pradesh, the famous Magha Mela begins on this day at Prayaag with holy dips in the Triveni and people holy-dipping in the Ganga sagar of West Bengal.

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15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

Shriya Bhagwat-Chitale

Sara Janvekar

This year I have an invitation to attend a Sankranti lunch at a friend’s home. True to tradition, the dress code is all black. We will share a traditional meal, til-gul laddoos and exchange small gifts (haldi-kunku). I find such low-key celebrations to be a really great opportunity to bond with my friends.

In India, we would celebrate Sankranti similarly, except that the seasons would be exactly opposite at the same time in the Northern hemisphere.

This year, I’ll be celebrating Sankranti in a special way, as it is our baby’s first. So I plan to dress him in a special black outfit complete with edible jewellery made out of sugar. The ceremony is known in Marathi as bor nahaan, and we will shower the baby with chocolates (to replace traditional berries). In India, kids particularly enjoy this festival, as they’re all invited home and entertained.

I am very excited to be planning this in New Zealand.

Recipe

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Til Gur laddoo

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oasted sesame seeds combined with jaggery and shaped as laddoos

Prep time: 6–10 minutes Cook time: 11–15 minutes Ingredients: • Sesame seeds (til), lightly roasted, 1–1/2 cups • Jaggery (gur), chopped, 1 cup • Dry coconut, grated, 1/2 cup • Green cardamom powder 1/4 teaspoon Method:

Grind sesame seeds and jaggery to a coarse mixture using a mixer or a mortar and pestle.

Step 2 Transfer the mixture onto a plate, add dried coconut and green cardamom powder and mix well.

Step 3 Divide this mixture into equal portions and shape into lemon-sized ladoos.

Step 4 Store in airtight jars.

Step 1 Aditee Naik In India, Sankranti is celebrated as a winter festival, and growing up in Mumbai, I have great memories of flying kites with my friends—one of the special traditions observed in the community to celebrate the festival.

Here in New Zeland, I’ll mark the festival by making the traditional sweets at home.

Ususally, when the sweets are shared, it is accompanied by a cute reminder to speak sweetly and use gentle words with each other in the forthcoming year. That is the most charming ritual, which I follow in New Zealand too.

Shweta Vaidya Yummy food, family all around you and the feeling of God blessing you. That is Sankranti for me. Like all the other festivals, I am going to yearn to fly to India for this one and be there when the young ones fly kites and eat sweets and go to the temple.

Lohri—the bonfire festival Swati Sharma

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n India, the country of festivals, Lohri marks the first main celebration of the year. It is observed on January 13 every year and with Indians now living across the world, the festival is celebrated among the Indian diaspora, and especially Punjabi communities the world over.

Lohri celebrations are associated with different events related to history, agriculture and astrology.

In historical context, Lohri is celebrated in the praise of Dulla Bhatti, a bandit who stayed in Punjab during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He is remembered as a legend, as he would steal from the rich of the state and distribute them among the poor. He was a Muslim bandit who also rescued Hindu girls from the slave market of the Middle East and helped them get married to Hindu boys even helping with their dowry. Often referred to as the Robin Hood of the community, Punjabis express their gratitude towards him by singing songs in his praise.

Groups of children go door to door and sing the Lohri song demanding Lohri ‘loot’ in the form of money, sweets, peanuts, jaggery, fruits and other sweets such as gajak and rewri. Some of the popular songs of Lohri are: “Sunder mundriye ho, tera kaun vichara ho, Dulla Bhatti wala ho, Dulle di dhee vyahi ho, Ser sakkar payi ho…..”

And “Dabba bhareya leera da” “Ae ghar ameera da” (for those who give Lohri) or “Hukka bhai Hukkaa”

“Ae ghar bhukha” (for those turn them empty-handed) In astrological context, this day is celebrated to mark the winter solstice, as on this day, Earth is the farthest from the sun and starts moving towards it from the next day, thus marking the beginning of Magh and the auspicious uttarayan period. In the agricultural context, Lohri is the harvest festival when the rabi crop is reaped.

Celebrations The festival is celebrated by lighting a bonfire and dancing and singing around it. The fire is also worshipped with jaggery, peanuts and sesame seeds. People eat the traditional makki ki roti (India bread made of maize flour), sarson ka saag (mustard leaves and spinach curry) and jaggery rice.

With the modernisation of festivals, the way Lohri is celebrated nowadays has also changed. Families with a recent wedding or birth celebrate Lohri in hotels, restaurants or even at their home with guests, DJ parties and food.

It is said that a good Lohri sets the tone for the whole year ahead—the more joyous and exuberant the occasion, the greater will be the peace and prosperity. We wish you also have a jubilant week of festivals.

Celebrating festivals away from home is always different. Let’s see how KiwiIndians are celebrating Lohri this year:

Preet Bains: I miss how we celebrate Lohri back in India with our family, friends and neighbours. The festival is all about dance and fun. In New Zealand, I celebrate it with my brother. Although we do not light a bonfire, we visit the gurudwara. We eat rewdi and peanuts, and cook special food at home. I have just been back from India and I wish I could have stayed there longer to celebrate Lohri with my family.

Manpreet Bhullar: For Punjabis, Lohri is an important festival and is celebrated with much fervour. Our Lohri is never complete without bhangra. Like in India, here too we get together with friends, eat traditional food and dance to the beats of dhol. Although it is summer in New Zealand but we still eat rewdi and peanuts (even if they are warm foods) and most importantly sarson da saag. Going to the gurudwara is a must. These are the little things that have become the symbol of the festival and keep us connected to them even when we are far from home.

Abhishek Sharma: I have been here in New Zealand for nearly a year now. Being a student and a part-time worker, there is not much I do to celebrate our festivals. Like many others here, my day also begins with college and then ends at job. There have been days that I didn’t even remember that it is a festival and only knew when I talked to my parent in India at night.

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Recipe

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Sarson ka saag

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traditional Punjabi dish made of mustard leaves and spices

Prep time: 11–15 minutes Cook time: 6–10 minutes Ingredients: • Fresh mustard leaves (sarson), 5 bunches • Fresh spinach leaves (palak), 1 bunch • Bathua or Bathuwa, 1 bunch • Mustard oil or desi ghee (clarified butter), 5 tablespoons • Ginger, sliced, two one-inch pieces • Garlic, sliced, 6-8 cloves • Onions, sliced, 2 medium • Green chillies, 4 • Salt to taste • Cornmeal, 2 tablespoons Method • Step 1 Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic and onion and sauté for two to three minutes. Roughly chop mustard leaves. Add to pan and stir.

• Step 2 Roughly chop spinach and bathua. Add to pan and stir. Break the green chillies and add to the pan.

• Step 3 Add salt to taste and stir well. Let it cook till the greens turn soft.

• Step 4 Add cornmeal dissolved in a little water and continue to cook till the greens are completely cooked. Cool and grind to a coarse paste.

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Pongal: celebrating the journey of the sun Red

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Kumar Suresh

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hey say nothing in this world comes easy and if you ask an Indian farmer, they can probably give you a never-ending list of problems ranging from delayed monsoon to the stepmotherly treatment from the government. But when it is time for harvest, the smiles on their faces is a sight to behold.

As the sun, the source of energy and light, takes his journey towards north for the next six months, it marks the beginning of uttarayan. Pongal and Makar Sankranti are some of the names given to this festival in South India, which celebrates the harvest of sesame, turmeric, sugar cane, lentils, etc. It is in a way a seeking the blessing from sun for a better year ahead, void of famine, floods and other obstacles.

Although the festival is celebrated throughout India and Nepal, it has a special place in the hearts of south Indians. The word Pongal, itself mean ‘to boil’ in Tamil. It involves boiling of lentils and rice in a pot until it boils over and overflows, symbolising the abundance of the harvest.

Celebrated over four days, the first day of Pongal, called as Bhogi is about getting rid of all the old and unwanted things. People clean up their houses and burn all the rubbish and dirt accumulated over the year.

The second day begins with worshipping of the Sun and women in the house usually decorate the house with rangoli made of rice flour.

The milk is boiled and is allowed to overflow as an offering to the Sun. On the third day, which is called the Mattu Pongal, the cattle

are washed and decorated. They are revered for their help in the fields for ploughing and providing milk and fertilizers. It is worth mentioning that in many places, there are beauty competitions held for the cattle—an event that is taken seriously by many.

The fourth day is called Kanum Pongal, when the whole family goes out for an outing. In fact, the word, Kanum means ‘to visit’. It is a time for the family to take a break from work in the fields and spending time with each other.

Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Makar Sankranti in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is not just a festival but a worship and a thanksgiving to Mother Nature for the prosperity bestowed upon us.

It is one of the few Hindu festivals that involves direct worshipping of the natural element(in this case, the sun).

Although the city life of today is far away from the fields and cattle, it is important to know where our source of energy comes from. It is a time to appreciate the work that goes into farming and celebrate the most important and one of the oldest professions in the

history of mankind, agriculture.

We at Indian Weekender, wish our readers a very happy and a prosperous Pongal and Makar Sankranti.

Gnanasekaran Happy Pongal to all. I work for Auckland transport and there are many South Indians working with me here. Although it is impossible to celebrate the Pongal in an elaborate way for four days, as in India, we try to get together at one place and celebrate the festival by cooking pongal and later going out for an outing. That is the least we can do to follow the traditions passed to us by our previous generations.

Varun In India, we distribute a mixture of sesame seed, jaggery, ground nuts and dried coconut called ‘Ellu-bella’. We go to everyone’s home and give them this mixture along with a sugarcane stem. It is a tradition where at least five people are given ‘Ellubella’, so I make it and give to my friends and colleagues around me. It gives me great satisfaction and pleasure explaining to everyone the significance of the prasadam and concept of the festival.

Samskruta Wishing happy Pongal to all. For people of Karnataka, the first five celebrations after marriage is the grandest Makar Sankranti in one’s life. It is unfortunate that I can’t celebrate the festival in a big way even as I am getting into my second year of marriage.

Having said that, I have special puja plans for Sankranti and plan to visit temple. I have also invited some friends for the dinner and plan to cook pongal for them.

Lakshmi Happy Pongal to all. I belong to a farmer’s family. It is a tradition in our family that we pray to cattle during Pongal. Without that, the festival is incomplete.

Last year I went looking for a place where I could find cows for worship and at last, I ended up finding goshala in an ISKCON temple. This year too, after puja I will go there and do Go-puja.

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Recipe

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hat is a Pongal celebration without the traditional pongal on your dining table? Here is the recipe of the two authentic pongal recipes that require no more than moderate cooking skills to achieve authentic taste.

Sweet/ Sakkarai Pongal

Step 5

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins

Step 6

Khara Pongal or Ven Pongal

• Rice ½ cup • Moong dal/pesara pappu, ⅓–½ cup • Powdered or grated jaggery or palm sugar, ½ cup • Green cardamom powder, ⅛ tablespoon • Small pinch of edible camphor/pacha karpooram (optional) • Ghee, 2 to 3 tablespoon • Raisins, 1 tablespoon • Cashews, broken, 1 to 2 tablespoon • Cloves (optional), 1 to 2 • A few coconut pieces sliced or chopped (optional)

Ingredients

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins INGREDIENTS • Raw rice ½cup • Split yellow moong dal (pasi paruppu) ¼ cup • Cashew nuts • Salt to taste For the seasoning: • Ghee or oil, 1 ½ tablespoon • Mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon • Ginger, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon • Cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon • Whole black pepper, 2 tablespoon (to be broken but not finely grounded) • Few curry leaves METHOD Step 1 Mix rice and dal, pressure cook adding salt, 2 1/2–3 cups of water for 4–5 whistles.

The rice has to be cooked in such a way that it should be mushy.

Step 2 Open the cooker and mash the contents well when it is still hot.

Mix and cook on a medium flame till the jaggery syrup blends with rice.

Heat a pan with ghee, add coconut pieces, cashews, clove and fry till golden, off the stove and add raisins. Mix this with the rice.

Method Step 1 Add moong dal and rice in pressure cooker. Pour 2 ¼ cups of water. Cook till soft or for 4 pressure cooker whistles.

Step 3

Step 2

Heat oil and ghee on to a pan and add mustard seeds, chopped ginger, pepper, jeera/cumin seeds, curry leaves.

Pour ¼ cup water to grated jaggery. On a low flame stir and melt it.

Step 4

When the pressure from the cooker is down, remove the lid and mash the rice and dal mix.

Pour it over the rice and dal mix.

Step 5 Add fried cashew nuts and mix everything well on low flame for 2 minutes.

Serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.

Step 3

Step 4 Filter jaggery syrup to the cooked rice dal. Add green cardamom powder.

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Celebrate the kite fest IWK Bureau

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akar Sakranti is the day when the sun starts to travel northwards marking the decline

of winter.

The days become longer, the skies clearer and the breeze cooler. A feeling of anticipation, joy and jubilation grips all who celebrate the occasion of thanksgiving and merry-making.

The fascination and the fun associated with the kite flying cuts across age groups and communities.

It is a competitive fun sport where family enjoys not only flying kite in air but also to outdo rival’s kite as well.

Vaishnav Parivar Inc. (VPNZ), a charitable organisation operating from Blockhouse Bay in Auckland, is organising its annual kite flying festival on January 16

at Avondale Racecourse. The festival has been gaining momentum each year.

In 2015, 8,000 to 9,000 people attended the event, and this year, the number is expected to grow with more Indians and

locals joining the festival. VPNZ imports kites and threads from India each year for sale to the public at the festival.

In addition there are several food and other stalls along with live performances.

Entertainment for kids include fun rides and climbing the wall, slides, face painting and drawing competitions.

A $5 raffle ticket can be bought to participate in a draw to win exciting prizes that include a return air ticket to India, 14” HP Notebook, Panasonic camera, 39” LCD/ LED TV, Accelor8 26” bike, Philip garment steam iron, Nutri ninja slim blender and Kodak digital frame.

Report on diversity in the intelligence agencies welcomed, findings deplored IWK Bureau

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ulticultural New Zealand welcomes the review of diversity in the New Zealand intelligence community, and is “disappointed but not surprised” at the lack of awareness or recognition of cultural diversity in the agencies.

Federation of Multicultural Councils Inc. is a national organisation with 18 constituent regional multicultural councils throughout New Zealand and national councils for women, youth, seniors and business. With a record of 26 years of successful service to the community, they offer a national collective voice for ethnic, migrant and refugee communities and provide advice to government and civil society on multicultural policy and practice.

“We beg to differ that because Maori and Pacific people come from open, honest, trusting families and communities, they cannot carry out the type of work done by the agencies and that the necessary secrecy could be a barrier to recruitment.

It is also patronising for the review to generalise that security clearances are an issue with ethnic minorities having a higher showing in crime statistics,” says

MNZ Executive Director Tayo Agunlejika.

“As highlighted in our own recent report on Our Multicultural Future, minority groups continue to experience s i g n i f i c a n t discrimination in employment and in the public arena, and they are underrepresented in government agencies at both the national and local level. A similar study should be carried out in other government agencies, not just the Intelligence agencies.

“All government agencies should have an ethnic relations strategy such as that adopted by the NZ Police and the one currently in preparation by Plunket New Zealand. This would help in making recruitment more attractive to ethnic minorities and more effective in reaching them.

It would also help government agencies to engage with ethnic communities to provide more equitable access to public services.”

AirAsia X returns to NZ skies Red

Esha Chanda

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alaysian low-cost airline AirAsia X is set to return to New Zealand in March with flights b e t w e e n K u a l a Lumpur and Auckland.

Currently, Malaysia Airlines is the only other airline that provides services on the route between the two cities.

In 2012, the 11-hour route from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch was cancelled due to a drop in traffic.

Although the company has been providing hints on its social media accounts for its new destination, they officially confirmed the news on January 12. Starting March this year, the airlines will extend its existing Airbus A3330-300 service between Kuala Lumpur and Gold Cost to Auckland.

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Daily one-way flights from Auckland to Gold Cost are now available at an introductory offer priced at $99, and $249 from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur.

The aircraft’s flatbed seats are also on sale and are priced at $249 to Gold

Coast and $599 to Kuala Lumpur (one way).

The services will commence from March 22. Tickets went on sale on Wednesday and will be available for purchase until January 24 or until sold out.

Airfares are expected to fall down with this return with rival airlines Air New Zealand and JetStar already offering tickets at reduced prices in March.

Promoting Indian sports goods in NZ IWK Bureau

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ew Delhi-based Sports Goods Export Promotion Council (SGEPC), a nodal agency for promoting exports of Indian sports goods and Indian toys industry, last came to Auckland in 2010 when they organised a Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) in New Zealand to showcase India’s wide range of manufactured sports items and toys.

This year, SGEPC will be bringing a delegation of 36 companies to the two countries. In New Zealand, the BSM will be held in Auckland on March 7 and 8 (tentatively), and will be Australia from February 28 to March 4.

Founded in 1958, SGEPC represents the leading manufacturers and exporters of sports goods and toys in India. Their main objective is to promote exports of sports goods and toys from India, for which, the council regularly organises various overseas export promotional activities such as participation in fairs, BSM and trade delegations. New Zealand is a good market for Indian sports goods manufacturers and exporters, and this BSM will give them an opportunity to display their goods.

The delegation will be open to having one-to-one meetings with local buyers and importers.

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Tauranga’s nagar kirtan attracts thousands

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Swati Sharma

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Clockwise from above: Langar organised at the Gurudwara Sikh Sangat Tauranga, young boys dressed in cultural attire, Sikh men performing gatka on the street during the parade and men holding kirpan

It’s exactly the response we were looking

India including Tauranga deputy mayor

Gurdwara

Parbandhak

for.” The celebrations were attended by

Kelvin Clout, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges,

Sukhdev

the dignitaries from New Zealand and

and general secretary of the Shiromani

from India.

Bhaur,

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Ja n

Singh

Cl os in g

s many as 5,000 Sikhs participated in the nagar kirtan (street parade) held in Tauranga last week to mark the birth ceremony of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of Sikhs.

The number of participants doubled this year with people coming from Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Waihi, Te Puke, Katikati, Roturua and Whakatane.

Organised by Gurudwara Sikh Sangat Tauranga, the parade was a big hit with people from different communities participating.

The parade started from the gurudwara at Burrows St and headed back after more than two hours of cultural showcase through the streets of Tauranga.

The Sikh martial arts—Gatka and kirtan—attracted people from the streets and the organisers said that they received many calls from the people who said they liked the parade and wanted to know more about the Sikh culture.

Free food and drinks were distributed along the way and a langar was organised at the Gurudwara. Organiser Daljit Singh was quoted by Bay of Plenty Times as saying, “The feedback from all the people [on the street] was fantastic.

People were telling us they especially liked all the colour and cultural parts...

Some told us they had never seen anything like this before and wanted to know more...

Basohli style, Pahari The portrait of Rama c1730 opaque watercolour and gold on paper National Museum, New Delhi, India

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Committee, who

travelled

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15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

Getting behind our youth

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Maya Shivam

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IWK: That sounds very exciting. So what’s the delay?

There is, however, one thing that stands between him and Berklee and we believe the community can get behind this young artist to make this happen.

Indian Weekender caught up with Akshay to find out how we could help.

IWK: Tell us about yourself

IWK: Tell us musical journey

about

From a very young age, I have been interested in music, growing up watching my favourite Indian movies that had amazing music. I was always drawn to the musical side of life. Mum says I was singing even before I could walk.

your

Akshay: I moved to New Zealand in 2001 and in primary school I picked up the recorder, which led me to the piano and guitar but singing was always my main passion.

It wasn’t until I started high school where I was surrounded by music and the performing arts that I got serious about pursuing music as a career. I did all my school musicals and some community ones too. My greatest achievement in high

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more than a dozen other genres and fields of study.

With a diverse and talented student body representing 96 countries and alumni who have collectively won more than 250 Grammys and Latin Grammys, Berklee is the world’s premier learning lab for the music of today—and tomorrow.

iwi Indian singer Akshay Hari Belas is all set to represent the Kiwi Indian Community on the world stage with his acceptance into the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts, USA where the likes of John Mayer have studied. Getting into Berklee will not just be a dream come true for this young artist but will also open up doors to tremendous opportunities.

Akshay: I was born in Ba, Fiji in 1993 and grew up in Lautoka till I moved to New Zealand when I was six. From a very young age, I have been interested in music, growing up watching my favourite Indian movies that had amazing music. I was always drawn to the musical side of life. Mum says I was singing even before I could walk. My parents were dental therapists back in Fiji.

I get my musical side from my mum whose dad, Hari Prasad, was given the title of “The Golden Voice of Fiji”.

He was a classical Indian musician and was quite well known around Fiji in those days. Sadly he died when my mum was young so I never got to meet him but I have heard his music and seen his pictures with all his trophies.

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school was receiving an AMI Showdown Award for “Best Male Soloist in a Musical” for my role as Rev. Billy Hightower in the musical Bat Boy. After high school, I attended MAINZ (Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand) where I studied contemporary music and performance for two years. As those two years were coming to an end I felt like I

needed to move on to bigger and better things, so on a whim one night I went onto the Berklee College website and hit apply, which just snowballed into me being accepted!

IWK: For those who don’t know, tell us more about Berklee.

Akshay: Berklee College of Music is located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as the world’s foremost institute for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and

historic styles, including rock, flamenco, hip hop, reggae, salsa, and bluegrass. As of 2015, Berklee alumni have been awarded a total of 253 Grammy Awards.

Berklee was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music.

For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business, leading the way with the world’s first baccalaureate studies in jazz, rock, electric guitar, film scoring, songwriting, turntables, electronic production, and

Akshay: I was meant to start in January 2016, but I needed to have the full amount of tuition for one year’s worth of study to show to the US Government, $60239 USD, which roughly converts to $90K NZD (give or take a couple hundred). So I’ve deferred semesters and I plan to start in their summer intake (May) which doesn’t give me a lot of time but this is my dream so I have to do whatever it takes.

Being in America and studying at Berklee can lead to so many more amazing opportunities.

The first, of course, is to be able to represent my community on the world stage. You never know, I could become a famous recording artist or be on Broadway or possibly even be a singer for Cirque du Soleil, the dreams are endless.

That’s why I started a fundraising page https:// givealittle.co.nz/cause/ akshayberklee/ because there’s no harm in asking from my own people. Also, I am looking into some grants I can possibly get.

And that’s why I thought I’d reach out to the New Zealand Indian community. It would be great to have support from them. You don’t really see many Indians in the Western limelight in the music industry.

It would be great to represent my culture and my heritage on an international scale.

It will be great to see this young and bright artist represent the Kiwi Indian Community on the world stage. We hope that through this story, Akshay can find the support from individuals and organisations that can help him make his dreams a reality.

Indian weekender is available at 100+ outlets all over new zealand.

If you can’t find a copy of your favourite paper, drop us an email at mahesh.iwk@gmail.com and we will ensure you get your copies every week at your nearest outlet.

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

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Recreational fishing parks proposed in Hauraki Gulf and Marlborough Sounds

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he government has launched a consultation document on a new Marine Protected Areas Act to replace the Marine Reserves Act 1971 that includes proposals for recreational fishing parks in the inner Hauraki Gulf and Marlborough Sounds.

“We are proposing a new system of marine protection that will include marine reserves, speciesspecific sanctuaries, seabed reserves, and recreational fishing parks. This more sophisticated approach with four different types of marine protection is similar to the graduated approach we take to reserves on land that vary from strict nature reserves to those for a specific or recreational purpose,” says Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“The new recreational fishing parks in the Hauraki Gulf and

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Kenepuru Sound, Marlborough

Marlborough Sounds enhance the recreational experience in these areas. There is currently an estimated 870 tonne per year of commercial catch in the proposed Hauraki Park and 139 tonne per year in the proposed Marlborough Sounds Park that would be discontinued within the park boundaries,” says Primary

Industries Minister Nathan Guy. “Marine conservation is incredibly important to New Zealand with an estimated 80 per cent of indigenous biodiversity and more than 15,000 known species found in the sea. New Zealand has a proud heritage of being one of the first countries in the world to provide for no-take marine

Diving deep to keep school pools full

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chools have resorted to asking for donations on a charity website in a last ditch attempt to keep school pools open, Labour’s Children’s spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.

“Despite a requirement from the Ministry of Education that children are taught basic swimming skills, more than 150 schools have been forced to close their pools over the last six years because they can’t afford to maintain them. Another 130 are at risk of closure.

“Schools have pretty much exhausted their fundraising options, including applying for various grants and selling keys for community use.

“It’s prompted 30 to launch Give a Little campaigns to buoy up donations, a move supported by Water Safety New Zealand, which maintains the school pool is the best place to teach kids how to swim to survive, and which is also fundraising for the cause.

“For many families school pools provide the only opportunity their kids will have to learn to swim. Water confidence and water safety skills are critical in a country where activities such as surfing, boating and fishing are an integral part of the outdoor lifestyle.

“Tragically 10 people drowned in New Zealand waters over the official Christmas holiday period, with the drowning toll for 2015 at 100.

“These facilities not only have a significant educational role, they often become the heart of a community over summer.

“Despite the importance of kids learning to swim in a country [such as] New Zealand, the government has basically ignored the plight of schools, saying the decision to keep them open or not is down to boards of trustees.

“Schools don’t want to lose their pools, but they are being left without a choice.

“The Ministry of Education needs to step in and form a plan rather than stand by while communities lose an asset that helps save lives,” Jacinda Ardern says.

reserves, including the proposal to create the 620,000 square kilometres Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary,” says Conservation Minister Maggie Barry.

“However, the old Act is no longer fit for modern purpose. These new proposals provide a better and more flexible process for establishing and managing marine reserves and will enable species sanctuaries for not just marine mammals but other significant species such as albatross and great white sharks.”

“This reform is the next step in our programme of work for New Zealand to be a leader in the sustainable use and management of our marine environment.

We have an excellent system of commercial fishery management with the quota management system. We introduced in 2009 a proper regulatory system for the

management of other activities in the Exclusive Economic Zone with the establishment of the Environmental Protection Authority. We will be passing legislation this year for one of the world’s largest no-take areas with the new Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary. This next step of a new Marine Protective Areas Act will provide a wider range of marine protection tools and a better system for their establishment and management,” Dr Smith said.

Ministers welcome feedback and submissions on the proposals in today’s discussion document—A New Marine Protected Areas Act. Submissions close on March 11. The proposals are then intended to be drafted into a bill to be introduced into Parliament and subjected to further public input by way of select committee hearings.

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NEW ZEALAND

15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

Housing construction hits one billion dollars per month

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he growth in residential building hit an all-time record of a billion dollars of work consented in a month for the first time ever, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith noted in response to Statistics New Zealand building consent data.

“These latest figures are very encouraging and confirm the success of the government’s policies to grow housing supply.

The 26,793 consents for new homes in the year to November is the highest in more than a decade, as are the 2,831 issued for the month of November. The national figures are 21 per cent higher than October 2015 and 17 per cent higher than November 2014,” Dr Smith says.

“I am particularly encouraged by the 966 new home consents in Auckland as it is getting close to the 1,000 per month we need to match demand for new housing.

It is a 20 per cent increase on the previous month and three times the number consented in November 2008 when National became government.

This data confirms that solid progress is being made in lifting the pace of Auckland’s residential construction.

“We are also starting to get benefits from Housing Accords in other parts of New Zealand.

The 328 new home consents in Wellington is highest number since April 2008. The government welcomes a spreading of housing growth outside Auckland and Christchurch as well as the trend towards more apartment construction.

“Today’s figures confirm the direction of the government’s housing policies.

We are continuing to free up more land faster through the Auckland Housing Accord and the eight other Accords we have with councils across the country.

We have initiatives in place to constrain building materials costs, rein in development contributions,

cut compliance costs and invest in improved sector productivity.

Our new $435 million HomeStart support package will help 90,000 people into home ownership over five years.

“We need to keep our foot on the accelerator to ensure we support this positive momentum.

The next step in the government’s programme include advancing new housing on Crown-owned land in Auckland, supporting the Auckland Council in the completion of the new Auckland Unitary Plan, consulting on a new Urban Development National Policy Statement, and reform of the Resource Management Act to address the long-term issues affecting housing supply and affordability.”

Petition for not signing the TPPA IWK Bureau

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rade Ministers from the 12 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will sign the TPPA in Auckland on Thursday, February 4, according to statements by governments of Chile and Peru (although this has still not been confirmed by the secrecy-obsessed New Zealand government).

On January 12, the network of Kiwis against the TPPA, It’s Our Future, launched a petition, together with partners, ActionStation and ShoutOut. The petition will gather the signatures of Kiwis who do not consent to the government signing the TPPA. Coordinator of It’s Our Future, Barry Coates, commented, “We now understand why the TPPA was negotiated in secret.

It is not in the interests of New Zealanders. Now the text is

publicly available, it is clear that the deal is designed to serve the

interests of large corporations and powerful states, not the interests of people or the planet.”

He added, “This is not an agreement that our government should sign. The TPPA allows multinational companies to challenge decisions of parliament

and our courts in a private international tribunal. The TPPA’s rules and enforcement mechanisms will bind the hands of New Zealand governments for the indefinite future, in violation of our democracy, sovereignty and the Treaty of Waitangi.”

Concerned Kiwis are currently consulting on actions and events around the date of signing to support this petition. The government is not signing the TPPA with the consent of New Zealanders.

Laura O’Connell-Rapira of ActionStation said, “Tens of thousands of everyday New Zealanders have been saying for more than a year now that we do not want this deal. We’ve written letters, made submissions, met with MPs and marched in the streets. Yet this government still chooses to blatantly ignore our voices. The fact of the matter is, we’re not going away and we will not be ignored.”

Elderly bearing brunt of National’s health cuts Red

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he government needs to take a step back from its health rhetoric and look at the impact that its continued underfunding of the health system is having on older people, says Labour’s Senior Citizens spokesperson Ruth Dyson.’

“How we look after older people is the marker of a civilised society.

Those in their 70s, 80s and 90s must not be consigned to the health scrap heap or forced to live in pain and unable to get around.

Their quality of life should be something we value as part of respecting older citizens as members of our communities.

“But National’s decision to cut 1.7 billion dollars out of the health system is seeing more and more

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older people declined elective surgery despite their urgent need.

Recent examples in Christchurch have only highlighted a problem

that is impacting older people all around New Zealand. Older New Zealanders have worked for years raising families, in paid jobs or working in our communities. This is not what they deserve.

“John Key needs to give a firm commitment to older New Zealanders that the healthcare system will be there for them when they need it and that our healthcare workers will have the resources they need to keep people well,” says Ruth Dyson

Fishhooks in govt’s park plan

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ational has backed away from its promise of recreational fishing parks, with their proposal failing to ban commercial fishing operations in the area, says Labour Fisheries Spokesperson Rino Tirikatene.

“At the last election, National promised to create recreational fishing parks by banning commercial fishing in key areas.

“However, today’s announcement reveals ‘some parks might allow commercial fishing to continue for certain species’. So despite all National’s spin, commercial fishing will continue in the so called ‘recreation’ parks.

“The proposal has also left open a potential blank cheque to compensate quota owners in affected areas while fishers who rely on that quota could potentially lose their livelihood and get nothing in return. The proposed approach could also leave the government open to legal action costing the taxpayer even more. It is also possible that Treaty Settlements may be undermined through the creation of the parks. There will also be alarm that ‘petroleum

or minerals activity could be allowed’ within these so called recreational fishing parks and additional onerous reporting obligations could be imposed on recreational fishers. “ B u r y i n g the announcement in a vague discussion document at the height of summer is an admission by the government that the promised fishing parks are in rough water. It looks like another Nick S m i t h

stuffu p i s imminent as the Minister has again been caught out not doing his homework.

“While the idea may have sounded good in National’s focus groups at election time, by not doing the work behind the scenes, the government has been caught out over-promising and under-delivering yet again,” says Rino Tirikatene.

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NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

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New recycling drop off sites Auckland firefighters fly to Victoria coming soon for Franklin

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uckland Council is close to finalising new recycling drop off locations in Franklin, after being advised at short notice the Pukekohe transfer station stopped their services from Monday, January 11. Envirowaste, a privatelyowned business operating on their own land, told the council of their decision to pull their recycling drop off service a week before Christmas.

“More notice to customers would have been helpful, however, they are a private business and there has never been a contract in place with us to run the site or the service,” says Waste Solutions Manager Ian Stupple.

“We are not aware of any public consultation in making the decision. It was a commercial decision that was solely theirs to make and they made it.”

The company has said publicly they no longer have room for town recycling, and will instead concentrate on restructuring the site for commercial customers.

Many residents have said they are keen to continue recycling right, and the council is keen to ensure this happens as well, with strong support from Franklin

Local Board. “Our focus is on enhancing our current offering of recycling drop off sites. We are finalising negotiations with land owners and potential operators, and we will confirm new options as soon as possible.”

Auckland Council does not fund recycling drop off services for Waikato residents or recycling generated by commercial activities. Residents needing to drop off recycling can find locations listed below.

Auckland Council inherited the current contract for recycling collections from the former Franklin council. This included a council kerbside recycling collection for urban residents, while rural residents were provided with recycling drop of sites. Residents receiving the

fortnightly kerbside service pay more in their targeted waste rate than those that do not.

All eligible properties will receive the fortnightly kerbside collection in a wheeled bin when the current collection contract ends, from July 1, 2017.

“We look forward to moving to consistent services for everyone, so our customers in Franklin receive the same service as each other and the rest of the region.”

LOCATIONS 1. Waiuku Community Recycling Centre, 5 Hosking Pl, Waiuku 2. Papakura Transfer Station, 25 Inlet Rd, Papakura 3. Matakawau, Matakawau Rd (off Awhitu Rd)—permanent drop off facility—metal cans, glass and cardboard only (not plastic bottles).

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Hunua—last Saturday morning of each month at Parks Depot, 4 Lockwood Rd, Hunua 5. Waiau Pa Hall—first Saturday morning of each evennumbered month (two monthly).

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uckland rural firefighters have been called to Australia to battle out-ofcontrol bush fires that have been raging in coastal Victoria since Christmas Day, destroying 116 homes Auckland firefighter Rory Renwick is on his fifth trip helping and 2700 hectares fight Australia’s deadly bushfires of bush. have a wide range of experience “We sent six Auckland taking on steep terrain, 40-degree firefighters last week as part of a heat and arduous conditions, New Zealand contingent of 20, so they can make a significant but the fires are still not under contribution in this is type of control so we are sending another environment,” says Mr Harre. six fighters on Monday to relieve The teams come from the exhausted Victorian crews Auckland rural fire stations at on the front line,” says acting Awhitu, Great Barrier Island, principal rural fire officer Thomas Puhoi, Waitakere, and also Harre. The Wye River-Jamieson include members of the Auckland Track fire, which is still creeping Rural Fire Authority. Auckland slowly under the current mild Council is Auckland’s rural conditions on its Western edge fire authority. to the Otway Ranges, is likely to The New Zealanders will threaten coastal communities in work in Australia for four weeks the area if another hot dry wind and possibly longer if the state period arrives before it can be continues to be affected by hot, contained. “Our rural firefighters dry conditions.

Rail options investigated for Mangere and airport

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ight and heavy rail options are being investigated by Auckland Transport to improve public transport access to Māngere and the airport area.

A rail link would provide much improved and more reliable public transport for people living in Māngere, working in the airport area, and for travellers.

The area is one of Auckland’s largest and fastest growing employment centres, with jobs increasing from 33,000 to 90,000 by 2044.

Light rail option A light rail link would cost about $1 billion to extend a proposed light rail route via Queen Street and Dominion Road to Onehunga, Māngere Bridge, Māngere, the airport employment area and a new terminal being developed by Auckland

Airport. The estimated travel time between Britomart and the airport is 44 minutes, or 41 minutes from a new Aotea Station in central Auckland.

Heavy rail option The heavy rail option would cost about $2.2 billion and include the double tracking of the Onehunga Line with rail extended to Māngere Bridge, Māngere and the airport terminal. Travel times are an estimated 39 minutes between Britomart and the airport, or 41 minutes from the new central Auckland Aotea Station.

Designs for Auckland Domain memorial on displayof the Museum, down the northern slopes isitors to Auckland War Memorial

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Museum during January 8 to 24 have the opportunity to view and comment on five concepts for a new commemorative memorial planned for the Auckland Domain to mark the centenary of the Great War. The proposed feature will enable both casual and formal ceremonial access to the Museum and Court of Honour on the axis

to Domain Drive.

Five international-standard design consortia were invited to submit concept designs, which are being displayed at the Museum. The public are invited to offer their feedback and opinions on how the designs make them feel. The feedback will be used to help the final chosen consortium refine their construction.

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FIJI

15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Gold medal star hopes to inspire

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aneesha Raksha Karan wants to inspire Fijian scholars studying overseas to make Fiji proud.

The 28-year-old is Fiji’s first Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholar to receive five gold medals.

She was awarded by Mysore University, Karnataka, in India last year, where she completed her Masters in Journalism and Communication.

Ms Karan has worked for various media organisations in Fiji. She is now a media and journalism lecturer at Fiji National University (FNU).

Originally from Salusalu Street, Labasa, Ms Karan felt proud to receive the gold medals. “I want

Maneesha Raksha Karan

to become a mentor for scholars and help them make Fiji proud,” she said.

Ms Karan was inspired by her English teachers to become a journalist when she was in secondary school. She enjoyed

studying in India. The Bachelors course in media and journalism she studied at University of the South Pacific (USP) and Masters course in journalism and communication in India are different. But the journalism principle, concept and

Fiji to host 2017 Miss Pacific Islands Pageant

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iji is expected to host the 2017 Pacific Islands Pageant.

The organising committee said they have received a confirmation letter. The pageant is expected to be held in Nadi. This year’s pageant will take place in Apia, Samoa and they will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. Fiji has had two successful winnings at the Miss Pacific Islands pageant— Merewalesi Nailatikau in 2009, and Alisi Rabukawaqa in 2011.

The Miss Pacific Islands pageant had become the most prestigious International pageant in the Pacific after the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant.

Fiji last hosted the Pacific Islands Pageant in 2009.

Fiji Airways flights position us as a hub

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iji Airways flying to Singapore in April serves as an opportunity in making Fiji a hub, says acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Fiji is now connected to every single continent around the Pacific except South America.

“The level of connectivity has increased. We fly to LA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and NZ and we are connected to Korean Airways,” he added.

“If you visualise it, we are already in a hub position. We need to take advantage of it. The reality is that Singapore will only be 9 ½ hours away.” Singapore is a major commercial and financial hub of South East Asia. We have talked about being a little Singapore; we have talked about being a little Geneva in the Pacific, we have talked about being a little Dubai in the Pacific,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.

Source: Fiji Sun

Miss Fiji Merewalesi Nailatikau winner for Miss Pacific Islands pageant in 2009

basics remains the same. “Media industries are very competitive in bringing out the truth,” she said.

Ms Karan hopes to enjoy teaching journalism at FNU. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, runs Cultural Centres around the globe with the objective to establish, revive and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries.

General Cultural Scholarship Scheme (GCSS) scholarships are offered to meritorious nationals of Fiji, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga accredited to the High Commission of India in Fiji.

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Fiji doing well, says PM

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rime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says Fiji has been doing really well as a country.

Mr Bainimarama said Fiji had recorded its sixth consecutive year of economic growth and attracted investment from all over the world.

“We’ve achieved great things through hard work and commitment to our new, unified Fiji,” he said while kick-starting his tour of the Northern Division this week.

Fiji one of the first govt to meet standards set by UN for better education: Reddy

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ducation Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy says Fiji is one of the first governments in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region to meet the standards set by the United Nations (UN) in the provision of better access to education.

Dr Reddy says the benchmark by the United Nations under UNESCO required governments to allocate 14% of its annual budget to the education sector.

He says Fiji currently spends around 15% of its budget on the education sector which is above the level set by the UN and this is not just for 2016 but for the past couple of years too. Dr Reddy adds that schemes such as free

bus fares, free textbooks, free tuition fee, provision of milk and Weetbix cereals, transportation (boats and engines where necessary) is testimony of the government’s vision in building a well‑informed society.

Two heads of foreign missions commissioned

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he President, Major General (Ret’d) Jioji Konousi Konrote commissioned two of Fiji’s Head of Missions who will be taking up their postings overseas next month.

Fiji’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Jitoko Tikolevu and Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Kamlesh Prakash took their oath of allegiance and oath of execution at the State House.

The two diplomats, who now join the Fiji diplomatic corps, are from the financial and education sector.

Prior to his appointment Mr Tikolevu was the chief executive officer of the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) and

has worked his way up the ladder since he began his stint at the Ministry of Commerce as the licensing clerk in 1981.

He joined the FRCA in 2002 as the senior policy and research officer in 2002 after having acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Business Studies from University of the South Pacific and a Masters in Tax (Honours) from the University of Auckland.

Mr Prakash has more than 25 years of work experience in the education field as a tutor and lecturer in Economics as well as a training manager in organisations such as USP and the Fiji Trade Union Congress.

The former director of the National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) of the

From left: Fiji’s new High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Jitoko Tikolevu, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, President Major-General (Ret’d) Jioji Konousi Konrote and Fiji’s new Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Kamlesh Prakash. Photo: DEPTFO News

Fiji National University (FNU) has 10 years of international experience as he worked with the Asian Productivity Organisation headquartered in Tokyo.

Mr Prakash has a BA in Economics/Politics from the USP and a Master of Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India.

FIJI

www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

No same sex marriage: PM

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rime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says there will be “no same sex marriage in Fiji”.

He made this emphatic statement after watching a FBC TV programme, Have Your Say. The programme, which made references to the Constitution, equality and same sex marriage, featured Shamima Ali, the Women’s Crisis Centre coordinator. FBC News director Indra Singh, said one of last year’s highlights was a recording they made on Shamima Ali. Mr Bainimarama said, “Tell Shamima Ali, there will be no same sex marriage in Fiji, a topic pushed by NGOs such as hers under the issue of human rights.”

He added, “Not in her lifetime and not in ours. They should not

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be confused with the wording of the Constitution about the equality and love for one another.”

The Constitution, he stressed, did not refer to equality as the opportunity for same sex marriage or love for all as love by Sakaraia for Ropate ending at the altar.

“Not in her lifetime!”

For a woman who wants to get married to another woman he said, “Go and have it done in Iceland and stay and live there.

“Fiji does not need that rubbish.”

Ms Ali said she spoke to FBC TV last November and she did not say anything on same sex marriage. Many religious organisations in Fiji support Mr Bainimarama’s position, vehemently opposing same-sex marriage. In an earlier interview with Fiji Sun, the former generalsecretary of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, now its president, Reverend Tevita Nawadra said, “Marriage ceremony is for a man and a woman.”

Many communities in Fiji frown upon the idea of a same-sex union although there is a growing tolerance towards gays.

Fiji best place in the world, says Bollywood entertainer

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ishwajeet Borwankar, a Bollywood vocalist, has piled praises on the Fijian hospitality. He made the comment in Labasa last month.

“I had the most marvelous time of my life and I feel fortunate to be in Fiji which is known as the best place in the world,” Mr Borwankar said.

He is from Mumbai, Maharashtra State in India.

He was in Labasa with Chirag Wadhwani, an Indian celebrity comedian, and Usha Nadkarni known as Savita Tai in the Indian television serial Pavitra Rishta which is shown on FBC TV. They conducted a one-night show at Subrail Park in Labasa. He was amazed and pleased to know the people in Fiji have so much love for Bollywood.

“People in Fiji know our names very well and we felt that they hold us special place in their life.

“The place, people and the food are amazing. I was astonished by the way they eat chicken curry and rice and we experienced their style of eating too. “We eat a lot of spicy

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The loss will be felt by his A-League franchise side, the Wellington Phoenix, as it rules him out of the remainder of the season.

Krishna has been a leading light for the Phoenix this season, scoring six of their 17 goals and leading the attack.

The Sibera, Labasa native was injured in a 3–1 loss to the Central Coast Mariners on December 31 and initially thought to be out for a month.

Fiji’s customer service ranked one of the best

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iji’s customer service has been ranked as one of the best in the world.

An Australian customer service consultant Richard Coles, who is currently in the country, says a good customer service will enhance workplace relations.

Having visited 55 countries and providing training on customer service, Richard Coles says Fiji is one of the best.

The consultant, who has an extensive experience in customer service says, a lot more can be done to further improve this.

“I think you’ve got the basics right and that is the smile, the natural smile, the personalities, the in-built friendliness and willingness to help people. You know customer service comes from the heart, it’s not just a word, it has to be something that you feel, something that you what to do and I think that is something

Fijians what to do. However think I can add to that that I think it can be improved. I think you got great potential here, I think you got to tighten up on a few things, a few areas.

Training can do that, consulting can do that, changing a little bit of attitude, getting people to realise that similar customer service across the company is very important. Similar meaning that my interaction with the receptionist will be the same as my interaction with the waiter, interaction with the pool attendant and so on and so forth.”

Coles is in the country conducting customer service and leadership training to a leading company.

He has conducted similar trainings for Qantas Airways, Royal Dutch Airlines and Emirates Airline to name a few.

Fiji NZ Business Council looks forward to a good year

F Chirag Wadhwani (left) a celebrity comedian of India with Vishwajeet Borwankar who is the Runner Up of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa stands together before their show at Subrail Park in Labasa

food in India which the people here do not, but we managed to modify our meal and enjoyed every bit of Fijian lifestyle experience.

“Their love and response which I, as a feedback, have made me realise that I have managed to set my music footprint in Fiji. I will always cherish these memories and hope to come back for more shows in Fiji.”

Meanwhile, Mr Wadhwani, a famous character on Laugh India Laugh, a stand-up comedy in India, was delighted to be in Fiji for the second time. “Fiji has given a

special identity and wherever I go to perform, they always give me good response,” Mr Wadhwani said.

“It could be partially because of my hair, but I believe they love my comedy. My advice to youngsters, who wish to be like me or aspire to become a comedian, is that your life and body should be filled with joy.

Your life and your mind should not be in tension. Always be happy and enjoy your life.”

He cracked a joke saying, “If you take tension then your wife in white sari will go and take your pension.”

Krishna ruled out for 3 months

iji football wonder boy, Roy Krishna is expected to be out of action for three months with an ankle injury.

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Krishna is tipped to lead the Vodafone Fiji Under-23 football side in the Rio Olympic Games in August.

Roy Krishna is a Fijian association football player, who currently plays as a striker for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.

iji New Zealand Business Council president Craig Strong is positive with the outlook for this year. This comes as the council looks forward to a number of events listed on its calendar.

Mr Strong said, “We have an extremely busy calendar in 2016; a year in which we intend to further build on the platform of activity that was developed in 2015. The pinnacle of 2016 will be our council hosting the Joint Forum.”

He added preliminary planning was underway at this stage as the council plans to anchor the Forum around the Chiefs vs Crusaders Super 15 game in Suva on July 1.

2015 was described as demanding year for the Council.

He continued, “It was a very busy year for us since the AGM in April 2015. We hosted a Trade Delegation from NZ led

by Matua Shane Jones, the NZ Government’s Pacific Economic Ambassador. This was followed

Fiji NZ Business Council president Craig Strong

by the Joint Forum which was held in Auckland in June and well supported by our members.”

For the successful completion of the year, he acknowledged the NZ High Commisioner to Fiji, Mark Ramsden, and the NZ Trade Commissioner Amanda Vercoe for their unwavering support for the council. He also thanked the council’s executive committee member and Fiji’s honorary counsel to the South Island, Richard Hatherly, for his proactive and willingness to drive the council’s events in Nadi.

Interest growing for cricket

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ricket is recording a slow but steady growth in the capital city.

There are currently 16 teams registered under Suva Cricket Association and President, Akuila Nawai says interested teams have had to be turned away due to limited grounds.

“We hope that we have more grounds because we have more teams interested to take part.

“The problem is we don’t have a lot of grounds.

Hopefully the ground at Albert Park will finish soon so we can accommodate for other teams that really want to come into

the competition.” Meanwhile in the Perpetual Cup challenge match yesterday, Punjabi Tigers defeated Komo by six wickets.

INDIANEW ZEALAND

Thought of the week

Whatever it is you’re seeking won’t come in the form you’re expecting

— Haruki Murakami

Editorial

From the desk of the Managing Editor

“

In the past, I often reached a point where I felt depleted when I had little enthusiasm for work (and sometimes even for life in general). The best cure I found was to inject a few happiness boosters into my daily routine. Today, rather than waiting for my energy levels to drop dangerously low before I take a break, I incorporate instant gratification into my life on a regular basis. These infusions of moments of joy do not merely make me feel better in the moment, they often create a current of enthusiasm and energy that helps me become more productive, more creative, happier.

The challenge, as it often is, is to find the right balance between delaying gratification, and grabbing it. I leave that to you...”

—Tal Ben-Shahar from Choose the Life You Want In today’s fast-paced life, it is often too easy to not stop even for a minute to check in with yourself or to simply take a breather. We just seem to rush from one thing to another, be it at work or home or in between running to children’s school or the supermarket; the list of things to do is endless. It is exactly this running around that leaves us depleted and devoid of energy to carry on, what we may generally call burn out. It was, therefore, interesting to read what Tal Ben-Sahar has to say about taking breaks and introducing instant gratification into your days. Sometimes it can be this fine line that gets us ahead and keeps our energy and enthusiasm levels up. That’s exactly how life is meant to be, isn’t it? It is not meant to be an unending chore that we struggle to complete day after day.

While we are on the subject, it may be pertinent to mention the inclusion of our new column—Soul Space. In this issue, we talk about meditation, but really the message is the same. If we can make even a little time for ourselves and just breathe, life will become that much better.

It is the time for our beginning of the year festivals—Lohri, Pongal and Makar Sankranti. We have stories on each of these festivals and also snippets from our readers on how they celebrate these festivals away from their home and families.

On January 16, we also celebrate Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti. Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th and one of the most celebrated gurus of the Sikhs. At a young age of 11, Guru Gobind Singh succeeded his father. He always carried his two swords, which are known as ‘Piri’ and Miri’. Both these swords denote Shakti and Bhakti. He fought against the oppression of the Sikhs by the Mughal rulers. Guru Gobind Singh was the last of 10 gurus and due to his huge contribution towards Sikhism, he is considered the eternal guru. So greetings and warm wishes to all our readers on these festivals.

No matter what state or religion you belong to, to be able to celebrate together with friends and family is the biggest joy of all.

Pick of the week

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) was snapped from a telescope at the Mt Lemmon SkyCenter, which is operated by the University of Arizona. Adam Block, a local astrophotographer, took this image of the Orion Nebula.

Until next time.

Giri Gupta

Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 41 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: Puckeroo Meaning: Broken, useless Usage: He had a compass but it was puckeroo

Tip from the trenches

DIY car cleaning tips • Clear out the cloudy headlights by applying toothpaste on the lens cover and rubbing it with a plain cloth.

• Use a paint brush to dust between the AC vents, and vaccum up as you brush it off • Use olive oil to polish the leather on the dashboard • Clean the wheels by using cleaning powder and water

OPINION/EDITORIAL

www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

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Why is the US turning Indian students back?

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Arun Kumar

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all it pre-election rhetoric or post Paris and St Bernardino paranoia, Indian students coming to the US have been caught in a bind, with many deported or denied entry for no fault of theirs.

They all came with valid F-1 student visas issued by US missions in India with the requisite I-20 forms from educational institutions certifying their admission, but have been sent packing back home at the port of entry.

There are no official figures available, but an estimated 60 to 70 students have been turned back so far. The process of deportation continues despite New Delhi making a strong plea to Washington to honour their visas.

It all started from San Francisco about two weeks after the December 2 terrorist attack in St Bernardino by a Pakistani couple, with Air India asked to fly back 14 Indian students who had come to join two allegedly “blacklisted”

dodgy schools. Both Silicon Valley University (SVU) in San Jose and Northwestern Polytechnic (NPU) in Fremont have denied being “blacklisted” or “under any sort of governmental investigation or targeting” NPU has even blamed the whole mess “on the actions of Air India” which after the first deportations declined to seat US-bound students claiming it had been informed by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about the two schools being

under the scanner. NPU suggested that Air India was not allowing its students to board, as it has to fly back at its own cost any individual denied entry to a country.

Air India is reported to have now resumed bringing in Indian students provided they commit to pay for their return in case they were not allowed to enter.

Over the last couple of weeks, several students coming through Chicago or New York and on other airlines to join other schools, some of them well reputed,

have also been turned back. Yet, according to diplomatic sources, the US has denied any large-scale denial of entry of Indian students and claims that CBP agents decide each case on its own merit whether it is genuine or not.

In some cases, the students did not even know what courses they planned to study, where they would stay or how they would meet their living expenses as students are not allowed to work. Some immigration officers are even giving spot tests to incoming students.

A majority of students hail from Andhra Pradesh but there is apparently no racial profiling or targeting of Indian students as students from other countries including China too have been denied entry.

NPU president Peter Hsieh, in a posting on the school’s website, also said that several incoming students had informed that “as long as students have proper documentation and are able to answer questions, they are being allowed into

Will Nawaz Sharif really book the Pathankot masterminds ?

Amitava Mukherjee

positive signals to India to stand up to the overbearing shadow of the army. But the same man had appointed Lt. Gen. Javed Nasser, allegedly an infamous character, as the ISI chief. This man was allegedly the principal figure behind forging a link with and then providing shelter to Dawood Ibrahim in Pakistan. He had also airlifted arms to Bosnian Muslims when the European Union was desperately trying to keep Bosnia united.

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t is fortunate that the Indian government has reacted with caution and maturity to the terrorist strike at the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, the first grave crisis faced by the government led by Narendra Modi.

While guesswork and accusations are being bandied around about the involvement of the Pakistan Army and the ISI in the gruesome act, the incident has presented the Indian government with an occasion to probe further into the flux and churning inside the Pakistani civil and army administration.

At least outwardly, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured all cooperation in bringing the culprits to book and promised to take action in the leads provided

by India. Sharif’s posture and his promptness in speaking to the Indian prime minister clearly give out the tension between him and the Pakistani Army establishment.

As the situation stands today, Nawaz Sharif is more of a titular ruler of Pakistan and the actual epicentre of the administration has passed on to the army chief, General Raheel Sharif, in the name of the National Action Plan, a government programme to root out terrorism.

But the Indian government should try to reach out to the Pakistani Army also, as in recent years, it has revised its military doctrine somewhat away from its Kashmir centric policy and

incorporated into it a new chapter called sub-conventional warfare (SCW), which is nothing but an admission of the internal fundamentalist threat.

The main thrust of SCW is, no doubt, against the Tehrik-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP). However, there is information that the TTP is tying its knots with other terrorist outfits such as the Jaishe-Mohammed and Lashkar-eTaiba et al. In that case, the army might be in a predicament over re-orienting its relations with terrorist organisations.

A more uncomfortable development for the army has been the news that the TTP and other fundamentalist terrorist organisations have penetrated deep inside southern Punjab— the most important recruitment ground of the army. Although the army has achieved significant success in North Waziristan, there are reports that its Pashtun elements are still surrendering

to the TTP while other non-state actors are receiving significant help as a result of the radicalisation of the army and other security apparatus.

But New Delhi should not expect much from Nawaz Sharif as he is known to enjoy good rapport with militant organisations such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

During the last parliamentary election, the Pakistani establishment was rife with rumours that the Sharif family had come to an understanding with the SS by which it had guaranteed the security of the Sharif family in return for a good number of SS leaders and cadres being released from jail and accommodated in government jobs in the Punjab province, which is under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

By a strange twist in fortune, Nawaz Sharif now needs to send

But New Delhi should not expect much from Nawaz Sharif as he is known to enjoy good rapport with militant organizations like the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS) and the Lashkar-eJhangvi (LeJ).

There is now a trenchant criticism, mostly from the Congress, about Narendra Modi’s Pakistan policy. It now appears that Modi should have been more circumspect before meeting Nawaz Sharif in Lahore.

On several occasions Sharif had held out promises of peace and justice, but that did not prevent the Pakistani establishment from releasing Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the dreaded LeT terrorist with a hand in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Lakhvi has been put

the US. They also report that this is not [only] limited to NPU or F-1 students but also to other foreign travellers on H-1 visa and the like,” he wrote.

But whether the system has been gamed by some unscrupulous elements is beside the point.

There seems to be a dysfunction between the consulates in India and the border agents, informed sources said.

The fact that so many students have been denied entry indicates that the US consulates in India were not doing due diligence before issuing visas.

Unless the US authorities can find a quick fix, Indian students who, according to the 2015 Open Doors Report, make up 13.6 per cent of the total international students in the US, would continue to suffer.

The US too stands to lose as with a whopping 29.4 per cent increase, a record high of 132,888 Indian students studying in the US in 2014–15 academic year contributed $3.6 billion to the US economy.

behind the bars again but that has not prevented him from carrying on his activities.

During the 2013 general elections Nawaz Sharif had received at least moral support from the TTP. Moreover, he is known to enjoy a cosy relationship with the LeJ, a dreaded organisation accused of carrying out murders of the Shias.

The PML-N cannot deny the fact that it had given nominations to LeJ operatives such as Abid Raja Gujjar, Sardar Ebad Dogar and Anjum Akeel Khan against whom charges of murdering innocent Shias are pending. Pictures of Nawaz Sharif with LeJ leaders praying for electoral success before the 2013 elections had gone viral in the Internet.

The close relations between the PML-N and the LeJ came to limelight when the PML-N government of Punjab province had extended a monthly stipend to Malik Ishaq, who was put behind bars on charges of killing of Shias.

Rana Sanaullah, the provincial law minister, tried to softpedal the issue by saying that it was done on court orders. Opposition leaders averred that there was no such judicial order.

Nawaz Sharif is putting to practice the Takfiri Deobandi ideology to which most of the terrorist outfits swear allegiance.

So will he be really able to bring to book the masterminds of the Pathankot terror attack?

INDIA

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15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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India bets on technology to overcome challenges Fakir Balaji

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acing against time to realise the ‘Vision 2020’ former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam conceived in 1996, India has embarked on a similar exercise for 2035, betting on emerging technologies to overcome major challenges it faces in ensuring inclusive growth and improving quality of life in the country.

“Technology is a key driver to empower individuals, societies and countries, facilitate development and enhance capabilities, while taking advantage of the democratic dividend,” says an official document on ‘Technology Vision 2035’.

The 100-page document, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 103rd Indian Science Congress attempts to envision the country’s technology future, using as analogy of four gaits of a horse— galloping, cantering, trotting and walking India. The document articulates a vision for all Indians

in 2035 and how technology will bring it to fruition, keeping in view basic needs of security, prosperity and identity of the population, projected to be 153 crore from 120 crore in 2012.

“No other country will be able to match India in terms of diversity, which is its core strength. Besides diversity in culture, the country is blessed with socio-economic, demographic, topographical and agro-climatic diversities,” the report by the Technology information, forecasting and assessment council (Tifac) asserted.

As an autonomous body, Tifac is a think tank under the science and technology department of the central government. It identified 10 major challenges requiring attention, resources and solutions in the next two decades for the benefit of people.

The key challenges are development, empowerment, inclusiveness, sustainability, environment, education, health, urban infrastructure, resources, socio-economic policies, solutions,

electronic communication and quality research.

The council, under the chairmanship of top nuclear scientist-cum-technocrat Anil Kakodkar, identified 12 sectors to realise the grand vision in the next 20 years, spanning education, medical sciences and healthcare, food and agriculture, water, energy, environment, habitat, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, materials and information and communication technology (ICT).

Admitting that the ‘Technology Vision 2020’ was a prisoner to the imagination of its own times, Rajan said the document was from the viewpoint of 1996 while that

of 2035 was from the standpoint of 2014. “Post-independent India has never been more different in any two decades than between 1996 and 2014, as the country’s GDP (gross domestic product) multiplied six times. If the 1996 document was an aspiration of a developed India in 2020, this speaks to the realisation of a developed India by 2035,” Rajan asserted.

Although the country galloped in some areas and cantered to keep pace in others, it trotted in a few but could not walk the talk in many areas in time for various reasons, internal and external.

In the past two decades, India galloped in space, nuclear and

missile technologies, life sciences and biotechnology, cantered in civil aviation, services and road transportation but trotted in food and agriculture, manufacturing and electronics. “On the flip side, in healthcare, life span increased by 10 years to 65 years from 1988 to 2013, while infant mortality declined to 41 per 1,000 from 94 per 1,000 in the same period (25 years) and maternal mortality slumped to 190 per 100,000 births in 2013 from a high of 560 in 1990,” the document pointed out.

Flagging of the five-day science event on January 3, Modi told about 12,500 stakeholders that the biggest challenge would be pressure on resources as they were limited and non-renewable like fossil fuels. “I am confident that emerging technologies [such as] nano, bio, robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence and cognitive sciences hold the potential to provide solutions to the challenge of limited resources,” Modi said.

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www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

Pakistan gives India findings on Pathankot attack

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akistan submitted to India its initial findings on alleged Pakistani links to the Pathankot terror attack saying that the telephone numbers given

by India were not registered in Pakistan, a news report here said.

A joint investigation team, formed following a directive of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, submitted the initial findings on the alleged Pakistani links to the terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force station in Punjab’s Pathankot district earlier this month.

“According to sources close to the development, the investigation report has been handed over to Indian authorities,” The News International said.

It said Indian authorities provided Pakistan details of telephonic conversations that terrorists, believed to be Pakistanis, had had with their handlers and family members from the air base. According to the Indian authorities, the terrorists who sneaked into Punjab and attacked the IAF base on January 2 were affiliated to the proscribed outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad.

The report quoted unnamed sources as saying that the telephone numbers given by India were not registered in Pakistan.

“The investigation agencies were further investigating (leads) pertaining to Pathankot attackers,” it said.

A media report said Pakistan’s InterServices Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence were helping probe the

suspected Pakistani link to the terror attack on the IAF base. The ISI, the Military Intelligence and the Intelligence Bureau were part of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed following a directive of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Express Tribune reported.

The decision to form the JIT was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Sharif “a few days ago”, it said.

Pakistani news reports on Friday had said that Sharif directed the Intelligence Bureau to probe the leads provided by New Delhi on the alleged Pakistani links to the January 2 terror attack in Punjab. The pre-dawn attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) station killed seven security personnel. Security forces killed all six attackers who were said to have sneaked into Punjab from Pakistan.

“Nawaz (Sharif) is taking an active role in getting to the bottom of the Pathankot incident,” a source in the Prime Minister’s House was quoted as saying.

“He (Sharif) also discussed the issue with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif and took him on board about the decision to form a JIT,” it added.

India has provided Islamabad “actionable information” on the terrorists’ alleged Pakistani links. New Delhi wants Sharif to crack down on those who planned the audacious terrorist attack.

After the terror attack, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif promised his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that his government will act on information provided by New Delhi on the terrorists’ alleged Pakistani links.

“Nawaz (Sharif) has assured his Indian counterpart (Narendra Modi) that Pakistan will investigate the matter and make the results public,” the report said.

But Pakistani officials have told their media that the information given by India was not enough and may not stand scrutiny in a court of law. The News International quoted “highly placed diplomatic sources” as saying that the foreign secretary-level talks between Pakistan and India could be deferred by New Delhi as there was no information so far about the visit of the Indian foreign secretary for the January 15 talks in Islamabad.

No communication has taken place between Islamabad and New Delhi on the foreign secretary-level talks since the Pathankot attack, it said.

Pakistan does not want the foreign secretary-level talks to get derailed as they were expected to pave the way for a comprehensive composite dialogue covering all outstanding disputes, including Kashmir, it added.

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15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

Govt to continue reforms with single-minded focus: Jaitley

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nion Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Narendra Modi government would continue with the economic reforms with singleminded focus.

Addressing the CII partnership summit in this coastal city in Andhra Pradesh, he said the government would continue with reforms, which it failed to pursue in recent months.

“Some of our reforms, which we have missed out on in the last few months, have to be pursued with a single-minded focus. We cannot afford a change in direction, and in these circumstances, every state has to contribute,” the minister said.

Jaitley pointed out the World Bank has lowered the global growth forecast to 2.9 per cent while the growth rates of economies across the world are hovering around extremely low figures.

“Many of our competing economies are facing extremely serious challenges.

In an integrated economy, a large number of those challenges and difficulties gets spilled over.

“So because of the integrated economy, what happens in China, what happens in oil prices, impact our markets. Our revenues also get impacted, when the price regimes are low because nominal GDP gets reduced,” he said. He, however, said that even under

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

the trying circumstances Indian economy was doing well.

“India continues to remain the fastest growing economy in the world. So our 7–7.5 per cent growth rate stands out amongst the larger economies as bright spot among global economy.”

The minister said he believed that India can convert these circumstances into an opportunity because some of the factors adversely impacting the world suit the country.

Jaitley said after Start-Up India, the government will launch Stand Up India, which will be available only to women and the SC/ST entrepreneurs.

“Every public sector and private sector bank, each branch

in the country has to fund one SC, ST and one woman entrepreneur,” he added.

Lauding the reforms initiated

by Andhra Pradesh, he said the state was recording double-digit growth and it would be one of the key engines of growth.

Responding to a request made

by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Jaitley assured all help to the state in dealing with the post-bifurcation challenges.

He noted that Andhra has many assets to become an investors’ destination because of dynamic leadership and ecosystem Jaitley hailed competition among states that have been holding investors’ meets to attract investment, and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is successful in converting cooperative federalism into competitive federalism.

He suggested states improve ease of doing business as investors look for stability of policy and business eco-system.

Nearly 1,600 delegates including 350 from US, China and 39 other countries are attending the threeday summit. CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee said that this is the largest ever turnout at the Partnership Summit.

Eminent industrialists including Anil Ambani, Baba Kalyani, Naushad Forbes, G.M. Rao and Adi Godrej were present at the inaugural session.

Nepal PM invites Indian investment, says a lot lost due to agitation

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head of his visit to India next month, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli invited Indian businessmen to invest in the Himalayan nation, saying it had lost a lot due to the agitation in the Terai region and that all steps will be taken to create an investor-friendly environment.

Interacting with a group of visiting Indian journalists, Oli said Nepal had lost revenue and income due to the more than fourmonth-old Madhesi agitation in the southern Terai plains of the country.

“I request the business community of India to come here. Of course, due to the unrest in the Terai, we lost a lot... not billions but trillions of rupees.

We lost income, revenue... No industry is earning now but we will immediately create an investment-friendly situation,” Oli promised.

The southern plains have been simmering with protests against the new Constitution for more than four months now. More than 55 people, including agitators and police personnel, have been killed during the agitation by the Madhesi community.

The Madhesi protestors are demanding, among other things,

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli

a redrawing of the boundaries of the provinces as proposed in the new Constitution and representation in parliament on the basis of population.

Nepal’s Left government has held more than a score of rounds of talks with leaders of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation, but without any breakthrough so far.

Oli said Nepal and India can work together for shared prosperity for entire South Asia.

Oli said South Asia had a “huge population” and there were no apprehensions about existence of market for business ventures.

“But we have to develop our feeling in that way... so that we can work together and enjoy

better future together. I will like to invite the business community to work together for better future of Nepal, India and South Asia,” he said.

“Nepal is committed and honestly wants to create an investment-friendly atmosphere,” he said.

According to data from the Indian embassy here, Indian firms are the biggest investors in Nepal, accounting for about 38.3 per cent of Nepal’s total approved foreign direct investment.

There are about 150 operating Indian ventures in Nepal engaged in manufacturing and services that include banking, insurance, education and telecom besides power and tourism sectors.

Bilateral trade, which was 29.8 percent of Nepal’s total external trade in 1995-96, reached 66 percent in 2013-14. Exports from Nepal to India were worth $605 million in 2013-14 and India’s exports to Nepal were $4.81 billion-worth during the same fiscal.

Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa had earlier this month announced that Oli will in February embark on his first foreign visit post-assumption of office to India.

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No shortage of medicines at hospitals from February 1: Kejrwal

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elhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the people will not be denied medicines and consumables at government hospitals since there will be no shortage of them from February 1.

“When poor people visit government hospitals, they don’t get all the medicines. But from February 1, no patient will be told that the medicines are out of stock,” he said here, adding a helpline would be launched so that people can report the shortage of medicines at government hospitals.

He stressed health and education would be the top two priorities of his government in 2016. Shortage of medicines, which figure in the list of essential drugs, at government hospitals has been a common complaint in the capital. The Delhi government runs 38 hospitals.

Temple can’t prohibit entry of women devotees: SC

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he Supreme Court, on Monday, January 11, said that unless a temple had a constitutional right, it could not prohibit the entry of the women pilgrims to offer worship.

A bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice N.V. Ramana said this in the course of the hearing of a petition by the Indian Young Lawyers Association challenging the Sabrimala Ayyappan Temple’s custom of prohibiting the entry of women devotees between 10 and 50 years.

Directing that it would examine the challenge to the custom prohibiting the entry of women of this age group, the court observed that a “temple can’t prohibit entry except on the basis of religion.

Unless you have constitutional right you can’t prohibit the entry”.

The court directed the next hearing of the matter on February 8.

Volkswagen to unveil compact sedan at Auto Expo

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erman car maker Volkswagen will be unveiling its subfour metre sedan designed for the Indian market and two other models at the Delhi Auto Expo, the company’s Indian subsidiary said.

In a statement, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said the Delhi Auto Expo will see the world premiere of the sub-four metre Indian compact sedan designed for the domestic market and made at its Indian plant. The other two models that would be unveiled at the auto expo are Passat GTE, a plug-in hybrid, and Tiguan, a sports utility vehicle (SUV).

“The Indian compact sedan, our made-in-India and made-forIndia carline, is a truly special offering from the Volkswagen stable with all the brand values of best in class safety features, build quality and a great driving experience, and is expected to be a game-changer for us.” Michael Mayer, director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India was quoted as saying in a statement. “We will also be introducing the New Passat to the Indian market in 2016.” The Auto Expo will be held in Delhi next month.

Rs.11,000 crore fund for fixing accident prone areas

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nion Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced a Rs.11,000 crore to fix accident prone areas across the country in the next five years.

Announced as part of the “Road Safety Week” launched by union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, safety measures also included a website being launched to identify black spots where accidents occur frequently.

“People can send information about such spots to the ministry of road transport and highways which will further take up the issue with the authorities concerned,” said Gadkari.

In Delhi, work on fixing 10 black spots has already begun.

Noting that a Road Safety Authority will be constituted and a Road Transport and Safety Bill will be placed shortly before parliament, he asked all to take a resolve on road safety and bring down road accidents by 50 per cent in (the) next five years.

Rajnath Singh, expressing concern on nearly five lakh road accidents that occur in India every year, said all stakeholders (have) to play effective role in ensuring safety on roads.

“There is a need for proper training of drivers before they are issued driving licenses,” he said.

INDIA ABROAD

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Indian-origin professor develops Indian American new method to hunt dark matter community lauded

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n Indian-American professor has devised a new method to characterise dark matter that can help hunt for the mysterious space phenomenon.

Sukanya Chakrabarti, assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, uses waves in the galactic disk to map the interior structure and mass of galaxies such as seismologists analyse waves to infer properties about the Earth’s interior.

Her team used spectroscopic observations to calculate the speed of the three Cepheid variables—stars used as yardsticks to measure distance in galaxies— in the Norma constellation.

Chakrabarti used Cepheid variables to mark the location of a dark-matter dominated dwarf galaxy approximately 300,000 light years away.

In contrast, the disk of the Milky Way terminates at 48,000 light years. “The radial velocity of the Cepheid variables is the last piece of evidence that we’ve

Sukanya Chakrabarti

been looking for,” Chakrabarti said. “You can immediately conclude that they are not part of our galaxy.”

Invisible particles known as dark matter make up 85 per cent of the mass of the universe.

“The mysterious matter represents a fundamental problem in astronomy because it is not understood,” Chakrabarti added.

Her method for locating satellite galaxies is dominated by dark-matter taps principles used in

seismology to explore the interior of the galaxy. “We have made significant progress into this new field of galactoseismology where by you can infer the dark matter content of dwarf galaxies, where they are, as well as properties of the interior of galaxies by looking at observable disturbances in the gas disk,” Chakrabarti explained.

This new method to characterise dark matter marks the first real application of the field of galactoseismology.

“It is very similar to seismology in a sense because we’re trying to infer things about the interior of galaxies and how much dark matter there is and how much there has to be to produce these disturbances,” she pointed out.

The study further questions the standard paradigm that old stars populate the dark matter halo and young stars form in the gas-rich stellar disks.

Chakrabarti’s findings have been submitted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Nikki Haley seen as potential Republican vice presidential pick Arun Kumar

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outh Carolina’s Indian-American governor Nikki Haley’s choice to give the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address has fuelled speculation about her as a potential vice presidential pick.

Born Nimrata “Nikki” Randhawa to Sikh immigrant parents from India, Haley at 43, the youngest governor in the country, gave the Republican response to Obama’s final annual address to the Congress Tuesday night.

“All this comes on the back of a strong year that saw her prospects in the veepstakes improve as Haley signed off on legislation removing the Confederate flag from Columbia and oversaw a state battered by a tragic massacre and a massive flood,” the Politico said.

In August, at the RNC summer meeting in Cleveland, Haley was invited to be its luncheon headliner, the Politico noted.

In recent months, Haley has fostered a close relationship with Christie as well as with two other Republican White House hopefuls: Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, it said. Over the course of the primary campaign, she has been exchanging text messages with all three candidates.

Haley declined to reveal details of what she plans to say, except to repeat that she is giving an “address” to the nation rather a “response” to Obama. “I certainly am not one to compete against the president

South Carolina’s Indian-American governor Nikki Haley’s

or try to imply that I could be,” Haley told reporters, according to Charlotte Observer.

Haley’s selection, the Observer said, is seen as part of the Republican Party’s attempts to win over female voters, who will have a chance to elect the first female president if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee.

But she called such talk a “waste of time”.

When asked about being given such an honour, she smiled and said she was humbled by it. “You have to know I always go back to that five-year-old Indian girl that lived in Bamberg. That just wondered what was out there,” Haley said.

Haley was first elected South Carolina governor in 2010, becoming both the first woman and the first Indian-American to hold the top office in the state. She was reelected in 2014.

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he transformational role played by the Indian American community in the development of India-US relations and its future potential were underscored by India’s Ambassador to the US Arun K. Singh.

Opening an event to celebrate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at the Indian embassy on Friday, January 8 he also highlighted the importance of the day.

The event was well attended with enthusiastic participation by the Indian American community members representing various sectors including the government, business, professionals, artists, journalists and students.

Swadesh Chatterjee, a Padma Bhushan awardee from North Carolina, gave a talk on “Building Bridges: How Indian Americans Brought the US and India closer together”.

Chatterjee recently published a book highlighting the contribution of Indian Americans

Arun K. Singh

in various fields including energy cooperation. Satyam Priyadarshy, president of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), which has 61 chapters across 17 countries, spoke on “India’s Flagship Projects and Indian Americans: Promising Possibilities”.

He also underscored the ways in which the Indian American community can contribute to the India’s organically connected flagship projects such as Smart City Mission, Skill India, Digital India, Make In India and Swachh Bharat.

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SPORTS

15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Sania-Martina start 2016 with title win

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he world’s top women tennis pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis started the New Year on a brilliant note by clinching the women’s doubles title of the $1 million Brisbane International at the Queensland Tennis Centre on Saturday, January 9.

The top seeded pair took just an hour and 10 minutes to beat German wild card pair of Angelique Kerber, who lost the women’s singles final earlier in the day to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, and Andrea Petkovic 7–5, 6–1 at the Pat Rafter Arena.

This is the Indo-Swiss pair’s 26th win in a row and the first title of 2016. They have now won six titles on the trot—the longest winning streak in the category since the 1994 season when Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva were on a 28 matchwinning streak. Also, this is the 29-year-old Sania’s second victory in Australia after partnering American Bethanie Mattek-Sands all the way to the title in 2013 while Martina was the defending champion, having sealed the crown with German Sabine Lisicki last year. The world’s top ranked combine took off well by breaking their opponents in the second game to go 2–0 up. But the wild card pair fought well and broke

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have now won 26 consecutive matches, which is the second-best streak in women’s doubles

Sania and Martina twice to take a 4–2 lead. The first set turned out to be quite topsy-turvy with both pairs regularly failing to hold on to their service games. However, Sania and Martina first levelled the score at four-all and then won on their serve to take a 5–4 lead one more time in the set.

Serving at 5–6 down and trying to push the set into the tie-breaker, Angelique and Andrea failed to

do so with the top seeds taking the set in 46 minutes. Unlike the vigorously fought first set, the second one turned out to be more or less a walkover with Sania and Martina racing away to a 5–0 lead.

The German girls somehow managed to win the sixth game on their serve but it was a little too late as the Indo-Swiss pair clinched the crown with ease in the next few minutes.

Djokovic demolishes Nadal, wins Qatar Open

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orld No.1 Novak Djokovic started 2016 with a title win at the $1,283,855 Qatar Open by defeating arch-rival Rafael Nadal 6–1, 6–2 in the men’s singles final on Saturday, January 9.

With the win, the Serb bagged the winner’s cheque of $201,165 and a glittering trophy stylised in the shape of Qatar’s national bird, a falcon. Djokovic had his grip on the match right from the start, it only got firmer as the match progressed. In the first game of the first set, Nadal came rather close to breaking Djokovic, but the Serbian had other plans. He not only retained his serve but broke Nadal in the immediately with an impressive 40-15 margin to stamp his class early. It would have been 40-0 had the left-hander not won a disputed line call.

Djokovic was clinical in his approach, soon making it 3-0, enough to subdue the chants of ‘vamos Rafa’. Nadal finally managed to win the fourth game to crawl to 1–3. But the Serbian was in no mood to settle with just one break, and claimed another

Djokovic (L) beat Nadal (R) in straight sets to win the Qatar Open

in the sixth to go 5–1 up. It was 6–1 in no time and the set was in Djokovic’s pocket.

With the first set gone, Nadal had been pushed to the wall, psychologically at least.

There were rallies in the first game of the second set. The World No.1 retained his serve to go 2–0 up. Another rally in the fifth game resulted in another break in favour of Djokovic and he was already 4–1 up. Djokovic won the next game to go 5–1 up. With great effort, Nadal retained his serve, but could do little when Djokovic

served in the last game of the evening. The Serbian retained his serve 40–15 and with that the set was his 6–2. One and quarter of an hour later, Djokovic was sitting pretty with the title under his belt.

“It’s a great feeling. What can I say? I am living the best time of my life and career. It’s easy to lose confidence than it is to gain. I am very grateful to have a start like this in Doha. He always presents a great challenge, the rivalry goes back 10 years, but this is the first time I have beaten him set-to-set,” said Djokovic.

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Messi wins fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or

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ionel Messi won an unprecedented fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or award, given to the footballer of the year, at a gala ceremony on Monday, January 11, ending his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s two-year hold on football’s top individual prize.

Either Messi or Ronaldo, who became a three-time winner last year, have won the past eight awards. The FC Barcelona and Argentine superstar’s reclaimed the prize from three-time winner Portugal’s Ronaldo and he now leads 5–3 in their career duel for the annual FIFA prize.

Messi also shook off the challenge of his Barcelona teammate Brazilian Neymar who was included on the shortlist for the first time. He was handed over the award by former AC Milan and Real Madrid star Kaka who himself won the award in 2007.

Messi received 41.33 per cent of the votes, followed by Ronaldo (27.76 per cent) and Neymar (7.86 per cent). Messi inspired Barcelona to regain the Champions League title among five major trophies in 2015, scoring 52 goals in 61 games with 26 assists.

Barcelona’s dominance was shaped by the brilliance of their incredible offensive trio of Messi, Neymar and Uruguyan Luis Suarez.

“It’s a very special moment for me, winning another Ballon d’Or after being in the audience watching Cristiano win the last two years. I want to thank all who voted for me and my teammates, [without whom] none of this would be possible. I want to thank football for everything it has brought me, both bad and good, it has helped me grow.

Thank you,” Messi said after w i n n i n g the award.

T h e Catalan c l u b ’ s coach Luis Enrique was chosen as the men’s “World Coach of the Year” after becoming European champion and winning the

Spanish league and cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup. He eclipsed rivals Pep Guardiola of Bayern Munich and Jorge Sampaoli, who led Chile to their first Copa America win earlier in the year.

America’s Jill Ellis won the World Coach of the Year award for women’s football. La Liga dominated the FIFA FIFPro World XI with eight entries, four each from Barcelona and Real Madrid, including the Ballon D’Or nominees Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo.

Brazilian Wendell Lira won the Puskas Award for the best goal. The striker plays for Vila Nova in the third tier in Brazil but at the time of the goal was playing for Goianesia. He earned his side a 2–1 win with the strike against Atletico-GO. American Carli Lloyd was named Women’s World Player of the Year. Lloyd, 33, led the United States to victory in the Women’s World Cup in July, memorably scoring a hat-trick in the final.

The FIFA FIFPro World XI: Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer; Defenders: Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva, Marcelo; Midfielders: Andres Iniesta, Paul Pogba, Luka Modric; Forwards: Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo

KIDS ZONE

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u o k y no d i Kangaroos cannot walk backwards

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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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TRAVEL

15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

Queenstown: a picturesque haven for adventure junkies Red

Radhika Bhirani

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he land, rivers, mountains and sky—Queenstown serves up adventure pursuits aplenty, everywhere. Be there, and just go for it.

Whether it’s sailing, hiking, white water rafting, jet boating, bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding, canyon swinging, skiing, mountain biking or whatever more to get your adrenaline pumping, this resort town, nestled in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, is a perfect stage for it all.

Setting sight on the hustle-bustle of activities happened as soon as I drew the curtains apart in my hotel room, which gave me walking access to the front of the glistening Lake Wakatipu. It was visibly dotted with sails, kayaks and boats. The backdrop was The Remarkables mountain range, and it was sunset.

“Oh my god, if only I could settle here!”

Queenstown can do that to you.

It has a compact town centre, where everything is within walking distance, including about 100 places to dine, which are often alive during the day and night with live music, and a beauty that’s remarkably picture postcard perfect. What’s more? You can see it from every height and angle.

Ask those why skydive from 15,000 feet!

Alas, it was a case of ‘been there, not done that’ for me at the world-famous Nzone Skydive, New Zealand’s first Tandem Skydive operation. Safety is priority here, but what it takes is courage—lots of it.

“Take the plunge, take the plunge,” people kept urging me. My heart said ‘No’.

Missing the skydive, especially after daring to bungee jump during a past trip to New Zealand, will remain a regret. So, hey, if you’re there, just do it. Let the experts

Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, starring Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel, which was partially shot here. Even the 2010 release I Hate Luv Storys, featuring Sonam Kapoor and Imran Khan, captured its beauty.

But a live experience is of course, always hard to match.

On another day, we were to traverse the infamous Skippers Road, a mostly one-way, narrow Skydiving in picturesque Queenstown is a surreal experience and steep way said to be one of the world’s most dangerous roads some 25 minutes away from Queenstown.

Scenes from Lord of the Rings came alive in the mind as we crossed some breathtaking locations, at parts of which the iconic movies were shot.

Our destination was the Shotover river, which the guide told us, is the world’s richest gold bearing river of its size.

Left to right: Simon Doull, Stephen Fleming, Sidharth Malhotra and Scott Syris enjoy their We were going jet boating, afternoon on a jet boat ride with Sidharth Malhotra and parachutes take care of the rest. along with the impressive company of Queenstown is a resort town in the cricket greats Stephen Fleming, Simon south-west of New Zealand’s South Island, Doull and Scott Styris. some 900 km from the capital Wellington.

With the cold wind slapping us in the It has its own airport. For many Indians, face, eyes barely open, jet boating can turn the first glimpse of the town’s beauty out to be quite a joyride as you feel your came through the Bollywood blockbuster adrenaline surge when you speed through

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he Maldives will take your breath away! The gently swaying palm trees, the talcum white sand beaches and an emerald sea on which the sunlight dances—all have quite a mesmerising effect on the eye of the beholder.

As the aircraft eases down at Maldives capital Male, the view is picture perfect.

As much as the aircraft’s small window permits, the warm tropical paradise is alluring. No wonder, the excitement among the passengers, particularly the honeymooners, is palpable.

The sea colour is striking. Closer to the island is a distinct green of light jade, which turns a deep blue a bit further away.

The Maldives has some 1,200 islands, separated into a series of coral atolls. The country lies just north of the Equator in the Indian Ocean. For Indians, it is one of those countries where visa is granted on arrival. So, you just need to carry your passport and catch a flight.

It has a tropical climate where the year is separated into two main seasons by the monsoons—hottest in April and coolest in December. The best time to visit is between December and April when the weather is sunny, with clear skies, low humidity

Kayaking in Maldives

and excellent water clarity. A number of gorgeous private island resorts, including two stunning properties run by Club Med, dot this archipelago of the Maldives.

As one disembarks at Male airport, the sea is right there. One needs to take a boat to travel to one of the resorts. The fresh, bracing air and the fine water spray as the catamaran cuts through the sea at high speeds, making a superb beginning to the holiday.

Holidaying in the Maldives is an enchanting experience, exotic in all its aspects. With abundant sea life, natural beauty, pleasant temperatures and sandy beaches, it is renowned as a tropical paradise. The memorable addons include swimming, fishing, waterskiing, snorkelling, scuba diving, kite

boarding and windsurfing. Snorkelling is an experience in itself with the clear sea offering a high visibility. Take a boat ride to one of the spots, wear your flippers and gear and jump into the inviting sea. A look down is like being in a giant aquarium, with multi-coloured fish gliding through the water.

Passing through a school of fish is an exhilarating experience. One feels like staying on and on in the water, but for the gentle

Relaxing at the Club Med Kani island resort

prodding from the diving experts who accompany the group.

The corals here are straight out of science books. All shapes, sizes and colours of these fragile marine invertebrates can be spotted on the sea bed, with the sun rays illuminating them.

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It has a compact town centre, where everything is within walking distance, including about 100 places to dine, which are often alive during the day and night with live music, and a beauty that’s remarkably picture postcard perfect. What’s more? You can see it from every height and angle.

the narrowest canyons, often taking 180-degree spins just inches from the canyon walls.

Look up at the sky during the ride, and you’ll spot the deadly Kawarau Bridge bungee site—the world’s first commercial bungee operation. Must be something to just jump off from there, and no, I wasn’t going to even try.

Also, if you find some time, do take a ride on Queenstown’s ‘Lady of the Lake’, which was first launched in 1912—the same year as the Titanic left shore. One of the oldest tourist attractions here, and said to be only remaining passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the Southern Hemisphere, it takes you on a mesmerising tour. Have some hot chocolate while you’re aboard, and soak in the beauty of the landscape.

Queenstown can make you forget your worldly worries. A good enough reason to go there.

Maldives: to the sunny side of life Rahul Dass

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If one is of the adventurous, parasailing is another option. A high-speed boat will pull a bright coloured parachute on which you are strapped and you just go up and up with the wind. In no time, you are looking at a wide expanse. To call the view stunning would be an understatement.

One gets to see the distant horizon, where the sea merges into infinity. The water villas, with plenty of oomph factor, look like small huts. The beautiful resorts seem to be from la la land.

There are hosts of other options—laze around on a sun bed, gaze at the sea, soak in the bright sunshine and take long walks on the beaches to feel the white sand that just cascades through the toes, taking away all your worries.

What to carry?

The Maldives is characteristically warm and sunny. It’s best to pack light, airy cottons or linens in sober bright colours.

Sunscreen (SPF 15 or greater) is a must and so are swimming trunks, thanks to serene, inviting beaches and pools. Slippers or loafers and a hat or scarf should complete the summery ensemble.

Just pack your bags and head to this nation of islands. It will leave you refreshed, and rejuvenated—to the promised “sunny side of life”.

FEATURES

www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

Heartburn pills may raise kidney disease risk

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opping common over-the-counter pills for controlling stomach acid, gas and heartburn daily may put you at chronic kidney disease risk in the long run, a team from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and others have cautioned.

Most commonly prescribed pills like Omeprazole, Rabeprazole and Pantoprazole, which come under the group called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), appear

to be associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease, warn the researchers.

They, however, say that more research is needed to determine whether PPI use causes kidney damage.

“Our study is observational and does not provide evidence of causality. However, a causal relationship between PPI use and CKD could have a considerable public health effect given the widespread extent of use,” the authors noted in an article published online by the journal JAMA

Internal Medicine. The findings suggest that up to 70 per cent of these prescriptions are without indication and that 25 per cent of long-term PPI users could discontinue therapy without developing symptoms.

“Indeed, there are already calls for the reduction of unnecessary use of PPIs,” the study noted.

For the study, Morgan E. Grams from Johns Hopkins and co-authors quantified the association between PPI use and incident CKD in the general population using data on self-reported PPI use in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

In the ARIC group, there were 56 incident CKD events among 322 baseline PPI users (14.2 per 1,000-person years) and 1,382 events among 10,160 baseline nonusers (10.7 per 1,000 person-years).

PPI use was associated with risk of incident CKD in unadjusted and adjusted analyses.

The 10-year estimated absolute risk of CKD among the 322 baseline PPI users was 11.8 per cent while the expected risk had they not used PPIs was 8.5 per cent, according to the results.

The authors, however, note that participants who are prescribed PPIs may be at higher risk of CKD for reasons unrelated to their PPI use.

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Parents spend more time on Facebook than non-parents

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obile devices have become vital tools for parents and they spend 1.3 times more time on Facebook than non-parents, a study by Facebook IQ said.

“Having a child changes everything, including parents’ relationship with their mobile phones. Moms’ and dads’ mobile phones have become their lifeline to managing schedules, keeping tabs on teens and sharing their kids’ key milestones,” Facebook IQ said in a blog post.

“By observing behaviour on Facebook, we see that parents overindex on mobile usage. In fact, parents globally spend 1.3X more time on Facebook mobile than nonparents,” the blog added.

The social network’s research arm interviewed parents aged 25 through 65 in eight markets—Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Britain and the US and analysed Facebook and Instagram data with the help of Ipsos MediaCT and Sound Research.

Millennial parents (aged 18 through 34) were 30 per cent more likely than baby boomer parents (50 through 65) to use their mobile devices to make more informed purchase decisions, the study noted.

According to the study, 83 per cent of parents said they have access to more information than their parents did. While, 70 per cent of millennial parents said they

are more informed than their parents were, 76 per cent of baby boomers said they gained access to the Internet and mobile devices at later stages in life.

Interestingly, more than 50 per cent of parents said their child or children have more impact on purchasing decisions than they did while growing up.

The study also revealed that while parents are sharing more decisions with their children, they are also learning to prioritise their own needs so they can be better equipped to tend to their family.

“Parents are increasingly realising that if they take care of themselves first, they will be able to deal with their daily responsibilities and stresses and tend to their family’s needs in a loving and energetic way,” the blog further read.

Turning off e-mail app on Expand your social network phone can make you happier to enjoy healthier life

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f reducing stress is on your mind, turning off the e-mail app on your phone can be an easy and inexpensive way to bring happiness back into your life, new research suggests E-mail can simultaneously be a great communication tool and a source of frustration and stress, the findings showed.

In a survey of around 2,000 people, London-based Future Work Centre found that people who automatically receive e-mail on their devices are more likely to report higher levels of e-mail pressure.

The study also pointed out that checking e-mail earlier in the morning or later at night is associated with higher levels of e-mail pressure.

“People who reported higher levels of e-mail pressure also experienced greater interference between work and home,” the report said.

However, how much e-mail pressure you feel and the extent to which it interferes with your work-life balance may depend on your personality.

“Our research shows that e-mail is a double-edged sword. Whilst it can be a valuable communication tool, it is clear that it is a source of stress of frustration for many of us,” lead author Richard MacKinnon, insight director, Future Work Centre, was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

“The people who reported it being most useful to them also reported the highest levels of email pressure,” MacKinnon noted.

Managers experience significantly higher levels of e-mail pressure when compared to non-managers, the results

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of the survey showed. “But the habits we develop, the emotional reactions we have to messages and the unwritten organisational etiquette around e-mail, combine into a toxic source of stress which could be negatively impacting our productivity and wellbeing,” MacKinnon said.

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he more social ties people have, the better their health is during adolescence and the golden years of their lives, says a new study.

“Based on these findings, it should be as important to encourage adolescents and young adults to build broad social relationships and social skills for interacting with others as it is to eat healthy and be physically active,” said one of the researchers Kathleen Harris, professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US. The study builds on previous research that shows that aging adults live longer if they have more social connections.

Specifically, the team found that the sheer size of a person’s social network was important for health in early and late adulthood.

In adolescence, that is, social isolation increased risk of inflammation by the same amount as physical inactivity while social integration protected against abdominal obesity.

In old age, social isolation was actually more harmful to health than diabetes on developing and controlling hypertension.

In middle adulthood, it was not the number of social connections that mattered, but what those connections provided in terms of social support or strain, the study said.

“The relationship between health and t h e degree to which people are integrated in large social networks is strongest at the beginning and at the end of life, and not so

important in middle adulthood, when the quality, not the quantity, of social relationships matters,” Harris said.

For the study, the researchers drew on data from four nationally representative surveys of the US population that, together, covered the lifespan from adolescence to old age.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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FEATURES

15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Take a power break Maya Shivam

Buddhist or Zen Meditation This is also referred to as Zazen, which literally means “seated meditation.” It comes from Buddhism, which is more of a philosophy than a religion. You acquire insight through observing the breath and the mind. Often times this practice involves chanting of a mantra.

Famous practitioners: Dalai Lama and Richard Gere Kundalini Meditation

overall psychological well-being. There are people from around the world who are claiming to have turned around even serious medical conditions through meditation and the power of the mind.

Meditation could be of many types and because this is such a personal practice, it is really up to each one of us to decide what works for us. I have randomly picked up five main kinds of meditation practices as an introduction here. Needless to say, your personal practice does not need to conform to any one or more of these traditional practices. These are: Primordial Sound Meditation (PSM) PSM is a silent practice that uses a mantra, a lot like the Hindu meditation practice. The mantra you receive is the vibrational sound the universe created at the time and place of your birth. It’s calculated following Vedic mathematic formulas and is very personal and specific to you. You could even have received it through your guru or mentor.

Saying your personal mantra, over and over in your mind, while you concentrate on your “third eye” (or not, whatever works for you), helps you to enter deeper

levels of awareness by taking you away from the intellectual side of the brain.

PSM is generally practiced sitting down, comfortably at a place where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Dr Deepak Chopra and Dr David Simon founded this method.

Famous practitioners: Deepak Chopra and Lady Gaga Mindfulness Meditation Established by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 and now being offered in medical centers, hospitals, and clinics around the world, Mindfulness Meditation or MindfulnessBased Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes are often taught by health professionals, to create a partnership in care between the patient and the medical team.

This technique uses both breath and body awareness. Breath awareness is just as it sounds—your attention is focused on the inhalation and exhalation. The Body awareness/scan is a process of focused attention on the physical body starting at the toes and working your way up to the top of your head with heightened awareness.

While you do this, you become aware of any area where you might be holding on to some tension and then actively relaxing or

Free employment assistance workshops Kite festival

Date: Saturday, Jan 16 - 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Venue: Avondale Racecourse, 90 Ash Street, Avondale, Auckland A family day out with kite flying, stage performances, face painting, food stalls, colour competition and many more fun activities. Buy raffle ticket to go into the draw to win Return air ticket for India. Free parking available. For more information, contact Manhar Patel on 09 6270380.

Pongal and Chennai flood relief fundraising programme

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releasing the tension or stress. This practice may be done seated, laying down, or walking depending on the focus of practice.

Famous practitioner: Jon Kabat-Zinn

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editation, a word that can be a bit daunting for a few people.

Many could be too quick to say that it is not for them while others might think of it as a practice for the saints and sages.

I have been meditating for more than 20 years now and have been introducing my (very social, party going professional high flyers) friends to it for more than 10 of those years. Needless to say, our tribe/ bunch has seen innumerable benefits in our lives as a result of our practice. However this must be said that “to take up is easy to continue is difficult”. But those of us who have persevered and continued our practice regardless, are here to share the proof “of the pudding”. In this first serve of Soul Space, we thought we’d start right at the beginning and do a little introduction into the world of meditation. This is not meant to be a religious discourse or a claim of being a master. This is merely sharing a journey that is personal and could be different for everyone.

Meditation is no longer an “airy fairy” concept, but scientific research can clearly demonstrate the benefits of meditation on the human brain and body. Some of these benefits are now being confirmed with MRI or EEG scans. The practice appears to have a variety of neurological benefits, from changes in gray matter volume to reduced activity in the various “fight or flight” centers of the brain to enhanced connectivity between brain regions. A recent study by Harvard University was actually able to prove that Meditation had the power to even alter one’s DNA—the basic fabric of life. So if something can alter things at such a deep basic level, imagine the changes it could make to our lives on the surface? Skeptics, of course, may ask what good are a few brain changes if the psychological effects aren’t simultaneously being illustrated.

Luckily, there is now evidence for those as well. Studies report that meditation helps relieve levels of anxiety and depression and improve attention, concentration, and

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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 help Chennai flood victims. It is also an opportunity to celebrate Pongal with the community. The entertainment 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.

Date: Tuesday, January 19, Tuesday, February 2 and Wednesday, February 10 Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on January 19 and February 2 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on February 10 Venue: Auckland Regional Migrant Services (ARMS), 532 Mt Albert Road, Three Kings ARMS is organising two free job search workshops for new migrants. 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

Meditation in the Kundalini Yoga tradition entails specific, practical tools that carefully and precisely support the mind and guide the body through the use of breath, mantra, mudra (hand position), and focus. The range and variety of meditation techniques in the Kundalini Yoga tradition are very large.

There are different meditations that reduce stress, work on addictions, increase vitality, and clear chakras, to name a few.

Since these meditations are so specified, working with a teacher is a large part of this tradition.

Famous practitioners: Sting and Jennifer Aniston There are many other forms of meditation and for those who may find themselves inspired after reading this, I can only encourage them to either search for “your own” practice online or reach out to someone who you think already practices. There are several guided meditations available online. You could check out Deepak Chopra’s Chopra Centre website, or myheadspace.com or others as a starting point. You could also write to editor@indianweekender.co.nz for more information.

Next time we will talk about the various benefits of meditation in some more detail.

Until then, take some time out, sit still and just breathe. 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.

Sun and Sound— Takapuna Beach

Date: Saturday, January 16 Time: noon to 11:30 p.m.

Venue: Takapuna Beach, The Strand, Auckland Sit back and tune into the fresh funky sounds of Auckland’s premium summer DJs. Head to Takapuna for a day of sun, sound, beer, food and beach games.

General admission tickets are priced at $29.

SCIENCE and technology

www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

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NASA mission finds ‘Villages on the moon 100 new alien planets can be reality by 2030’

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ASA’s planet-hunting revamped Kepler mission has found more than 100 confirmed planets orbiting other stars.

The information about the planets, some of which are different from what the spacecraft observed during its original mission, was shared by University of Arizona’s Ian Crossfield at a conference of the American Astronomical Society, National Geographic reported. According to the report, many newly-found planets are in multi-planet systems and orbit stars that are brighter and hotter than the stars in the original Kepler field.

It has also found a system with three planets that are bigger than Earth, spotted a planet in the Hyades star cluster—the nearest open star cluster to Earth—and discovered a planet being ripped apart as it orbits a white dwarf star.

“Scientists have also found 234 possible planets that are awaiting confirmation,” Andrew Vanderburg of the HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said.

Meanwhile, Tom Barclay of NASA’s Ames Research Centre said that spacecraft is probing different types of planets (than the original Kepler mission).

With a mission to determine how common Earth-like planets are, Kepler stared at the same patch of star-filled sky, watching for periodic blips in starlight caused by orbiting planets and from 2009 to 2013, Kepler discovered more than 1,000 new planets.With a tweak to its steering ability, scientists rectified

the mechanical malfunction of Kepler’s lost ability to stare at the same exact spot. Since then, K2 has been spying on supernovas, and studying planets orbiting our star.

In 2014, it spent about 70 days observing Neptune, studying the ice giant’s extremely windy weather and would also attempt to spot planets that are wandering through the galaxy without stars of their own.

Among its notable discoveries, K2 has spotted strong evidence of a tiny, rocky object being torn apart as it spirals around a white dwarf star and discovered a new planet orbiting two stars and located within its host stars’ “habitable zone”, the area around the stars in which life could potentially exist.

It also collected data to reveal that our solar system was born 4.6 billion years ago and only eight percent of the potentially habitable planets that will ever form in the universe existed.

ASA’s Kepler mission had also confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet in the “habitable zone” around a Sun-like star.

illages on the moon, constructed through cooperation between astronauts and robotic systems on the lunar surface, can become a reality as early as 2030, a group of scientists has predicted.

Scientists are exploring the idea of “moon villages” that can serve as a potential springboard for future human missions to Mars and potentially other deeper space missions.

In order for that vision to Scientists are exploring the idea of "moon villages" that can serve as a become a reality, scientists must potential springboard for future human missions to Mars and potentially other first determine if the resources on deeper space missions the Moon are as significant as we and evolution of the Moon, focusing on the think they are. petrology and geochemistry of returned “We keep talking about lunar resources samples coupled with geophysics and other but we still need to demonstrate they can remotely sensed datasets. be used a (that) they are, in fact, reserves,” It looks at the geophysical said Clive Neal, a planetary geologist from instrumentation and investigations of the the University of Notre Dame in the US. Moon, formation of impact melts, and more The ground truth verification of deposit basalt petrogenesis. size, composition, form and homogeneity In this regard, the European Space requires a coordinated prospecting Agency (ESA) hosted a symposium programme as a first step. titled “Moon 2020-2030– A New Era “The next step would demonstrate of Coordinated Human and Robotic extraction techniques followed Exploration”, in the Netherlands recently. by refinement of the product into According to Neal, who attended the usable commodity. conference, the ESA meeting highlighted “A successful programme would then technology development in terms of clearly demonstrate that lunar resources precision landing, robotic sample return, can enable solar system exploration,” and cryogenic sampling, caching, return he said. Neal’s research explores the origin and curation.

CES 2016—the magnificent seven Mahesh K

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he year has started with a big bang for tech enthusiasts. Every year in January, CES or the Consumer Electronics Show takes place in Las Vegas.

The show marks new product launches and sets the tech trend for the year to come.

This year, too, CES 2016 unveiled some cool gadgets and tech concepts, ranging from automobiles, televisions, mobile devices to virtual reality, wearable devices and drones.

While I haven’t been to CES myself (maybe next year), I have scanned every report from tech journals, blogs, etc. and below are seven of my favourite gadgets or products.

Faraday Future FFZero1 Concept If you are a car lover (and who isn’t), you must have got the buzz about FFZero1.

Faraday Future—the new kid on the electric luxury cars block—sprang this ‘concept racing car’, which looks like a batmobile or a car time-travelling from the future. Even though the car

with carbon fibre body in just 18 months.

It is an impressive platform and great technology, which promises production models that might be coming soon.

Watch out, Tesla!

Chevy Bolt While Tesla and Faraday Future fuel our fantasies with their luxurious EVs, Chevy Bolt might be the EV that most of us will be practically content with. Yes, ‘practical’ is the word here. It is an affordable yet powerful offering that boasts of a 200plus mile range, plenty of space with comfortable seating for five. GM is also proud of the infotainment system that features a stunning 10.2-inch touchscreen ‘MyLink’ system. So for around US$30,000, you could say goodbye to petrol and go fully electric in style.

Casio WSD-F10

might not see the road being just a ‘concept’, it did showcase the ability of Chinesebacked Faraday Future that designed this electric, 1,000-horsepower single-seater

With almost every OEM launching a smartwatch, Casio too jumped the fray.

It unveiled its first Android wear-based smartwatch WSD-F10 at CES 2016. It is

tougher and rugged with water-resistance up to 50 metres and MSL-STD-810 military compliance. The watch has a 1.32-inch screen with a resolution of 320x300.

You can choose between monochrome and full-colour mode. Sensors onboard include a pressure sensor, compass and accelerometer with the ability to check altitude, air pressure, tide graphs and trek activity.

At US$500, it does not come cheap.

WSD-F10 goes on sale in April.

Bang & Olufsen’sBeoLab 90

Ehang passenger drone It’s a drone, but it’s not un-manned.

Ehang, a Chinese drone maker, launched EHang 184, an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV), which can seat a human. According to the company, it is the safest, eco-est and smartest low-altitude autonomous aerial vehicle, aiming at providing medium-short distance communication and transportation solution. This beautifully designed drone can fly at a top speed of 100 kilometres per hour, at a maximum altitude of 11,000 feet on a roughly 23-minute trip. The all-electric drone will have to clear various safety checks and policy makers before you can get inside it.

HTC Vive At this year, virtual reality outshone reality itself, from Oculus to HTC and many other companies showcasing their version of VR headsets. HTC got some rave reviews for Vive. It is pretty slick and combines the virtual world with the real and lets you immerse in your game while still being aware of your real space. You need to check the demos out on YouTube or HTC’s website! It is awesome!

Stunning! Gorgeous! Out of the world!

This describes B&O’s new speakers. While they look pretty and beautiful, they are a beast when it comes to sound. You can control them through your smartphone and get different directional modes. There are 18 state-of-the-art loudspeaker drivers, which can be controlled to customise sound for either solo listening, group listening or radial mode for 360-degree sound. In total, the amplifiers can deliver up to 8200 watts per loudspeaker. And did I mention they look amazing?

Withings Thermo The humble thermometer is going high-tech.

Withings’ WiFi-connected thermometer, Thermo, can be used by just hovering over the skin. Designed for little ones, it can be used by parents without waking up or disturbing the baby. It’s less invasive and thus more hygienic. Featuring HotSpotSensor technology, it even has a dedicated app to track readings and get reminders. It has 16 infrared sensors and can read temperature accurately in only two seconds.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Anushka to star opposite Salman in Sultan

15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

good people.” The 29-year-old actress plays Farhan’s wife Ruhana in Bejoy Nambiardirected Wazir. Aditi says she doesn’t know “how the industry works”, so she “learns something new every day” and “looks at it as positive thing”. “Sometimes it makes you weak, sometimes it makes you excited but mostly it’s magic, because I feel privileged every day,” she added.

The Boss actress said she loves “being an actor”. “I love being a drama queen in front of the camera. I really enjoy it.”

India needs film like Gandhi vs Aazaad: Director

almost full houses today (Saturday), and

RedI’m grateful to my Black Orange audience for that,”

Katrina says Fitoor new despite having read Great Expectations

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ctress Katrina Kaif considers her upcoming drama Fitoor a fresh film despite having read the Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations on which it is based.

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ollywood actress Anushka Sharma has been finalised as the female lead opposite superstar Salman Khan for the upcoming film Sultan, said a statement from Yash Raj Films.

Anushka, who made her debut in Hindi cinema in 2008 took to Twitter, to share a photograph of herself hugging the Dabangg star. The NH10 actress captioned the image saying: Sultan.

Produced by Aditya Chopra and writtendirected by Ali Abbas Zafar, Sultan, which has been shot in Karjat, is reportedly based on the life of a wrestler.

One of the fittest stars of Bollywood, Salman has gone through intensive training for wrestling and mixed martial arts for Zafar’s directorial with international action director Larnell Stovall.

Sultan is slated to release on Eid 2016.

Being an outsider, I’m working with good people: Aditi Rao

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Big B, Ranveer share Best Actor award

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egastar Amitabh Bachchan shared the Best Actor award (male) with Ranveer Singh at the Screen Awards 2016.

While Big B was honoured for his role in Piku, Ranveer was adjudged the best actor

ctress Aditi Rao Hydari, who has shared screen space with megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar in Wazir, says she’s glad that even though she doesn’t have a Bollywood background and is an “outsider” in the Hindi film industry, she is “working with really good people”.

Aditi had, in an earlier interview, said that she felt like an “outsider” in the industry.

Asked if having done films such as Delhi-6, Yeh Saali Zindagi, Khoobsurat and now Wazir, has changed her views, Aditi said here: “When I say I’m an outsider, I mean that my family is not from the industry... There are so many people who struggle to get into the industry and being that outsider, I am working with really

for his spectacular work in Bajirao Mastani.

The award for the Best Actor in female category went to the flamboyant Deepika Padukone for her stunning performance in Piku.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor was conferred with the Life Time Achievement award.

Meanwhile, the award for the popular choice in male and female categories went to Shah Rukh khan, for Dilwale, and Deepika for Bajirao Mastani respectively.

Versatile actor Irrfan Khan bagged the Jury Choice Best Actor (Male) and Kalki Koechlin won the Jury Choice Best Actor (Female).The red carpet of the gala event witnessed the presence Amitabh Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha, Subhash Ghai, Shabana Azmi and Rishi Kapoor among others.

Priyanka wins ‘Favourite Actress’ at People’s Choice Awards 2016

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bhay Kumar, who is set make his directorial debut with Gandhi vs Aazaad, says India desperately needs a film like this.

“I feel today’s youth, in fact India, desperately needs a film like Gandhi vs Aazaad. It’s a controversial film, but it also depicts some facts from Indian history.

The world will see the other side of Gandhi which they have not seen yet,” Abhay said.

Abhay, grandson of the Bombay Talkies studio founder Raj Narayan Dube, has decided to revive the banner with the antiGandhi film. Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar and Meena Kumari-starrer Baadbaan was the last film released by the studio in 1954.

He said the film was in its editing stage.

“Almost 95 per cent of the film is ready. I am planning to release it in February but let’s see.” The historical drama will also see Abhay in the title role of revolutionary hero Chandra Shekhar Azad.

film-maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who has produced the film, said in a statement.

The film, which also stars Aditi Rao Hydari, Neil Nitin Mukesh and John Abraham among others, tells the story of two unusual friends—a paralysed chess grandmaster (Amitabh) and a grief-stricken ATS officer (Farhan).

“I’ve read the book and I’ve seen the films that have been made on it. So when I got the script from Abhishek, I really just judged it on as an entirely new movie because most of the people who’ll see the film will probably not have read the book,” said Katrina, who was present with her co-star Aditya Roy Kapur and director Abhishek Kapoor to promote the film at a radio station.

“Honestly, I found it to be one of the most romantic stories I’ve ever heard and ever read. For me that was instantly where I wanted to be a part of it because I think everybody loves romance and passion.

And this film just depicted it in a beautiful, classic way,” she added.

Great Expectations, first published in 1861, has been adapted into various films, plays and television shows and even novels.

After adapting Chetan Bhagat’s Three Mistakes Of My Life for Kai Po Che, Kapoor has taken up a novel again.

“I had read the book several years earlier, during my childhood in school. The heart and soul of the book is very basic... in any country or place, people are able to relate to this story because it is about love and about heartbreak.

However, lead actor Aditya, who plays a character inspired from the character Pip, hasn’t read the book. “Gattu (Abhishek) had adapted the book into a script. And If I was going to read the book and those elements are not going to be there in the script, then it would not make any sense because I’d be looking for things that don’t exist.

Fitoor also stars Tabu in a pivotal role.

Wazir mints Rs.5.57 crore on opening day

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egastar Amitabh Bachchan and actor-film-maker Farhan Akhtar starrer action thriller film Wazir collected Rs.5.57 crore on its first day.

The Bejoy Nambiar directorial, which released on Friday, has received a good response in multiplexes. The film collected Rs.4.07 crore overseas on first day, thus taking its opening day worldwide total to Rs.9.64 crore.

“It is very touching that a film, which opened at 10 per cent was running at 80– 90 per cent in most cinemas by the time the day ended on Friday. It is running to

ollywood actress and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra made India proud yet again. She won a People’s Choice Award for her international acting debut as FBI agent Alex Parish in American TV thriller series Quantico. She is said to be the first South Asian actress to win the honour.

Priyanka was named the Favourite Actress in a New TV series at the gala last week in Los Angeles. She was pitted against actresses like Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele and Marcia Gay Harden.

Ecstatic with the victory, Priyanka said: “I’d like to thank everyone who voted for Quantico. It is my first year in the US, and to come to another country and actually get this kind of acceptance is I guess what America is all about.”

“So, thank you for accepting me, thank you to my mom, my manager, the cast and crew, the writer, ABC...everyone. I’m really overwhelmed.”

She was given the trophy by Hollywood action star Vin Diesel, who also gave a

touching tribute to his late Fast and Furious co-star Paul Walker by singing the song See you again during the course of the show.

Priyanka looked glamorous in a shimmery dress by American fashion designer Vera Wang, and stood out with her smoky eye make-up. A National Awardwinning actress in India, Priyanka’s acting repertoire includes films such as Andaaz, Aitraaz, Krrish, Fashion and Mary Kom. Her last big screen outing as Kashibai in Bajirao Mastani last year has also won praises galore. The People’s Choice Award— which recognises the people and the work of popular culture through votes given by the general public—for Priyanka comes as a fillip to her international career, which first began as a singer in 2012 with her single In my city. She went on to collaborate with American rapper Pitbull for Exotic in 2013.

Priyanka will next be seen onscreen in the forthcoming Bollywood film Jai Gangaajal, which is slated to release on March 4.

ENTERTAINMENT

www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

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Netflix in India: the ifs and buts of on-demand streaming Ankit Sinha

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he arrival of popular American ondemand streaming website Netflix in India has given much reason to cheer, but users have raised concerns on data consumption and Internet speed.

Nevertheless, the excitement is at its peak, especially since the content comes without censorship.

A quick look at the Netflix original series Narcos, which features some intimate lovemaking scenes, affirmed that there is no discernible censorship, which could bother viewers, who are mostly used to snipped and beeped content.

“Netflix is an on-demand service that allows people to choose to sign up and decide what, where and when to watch.

The service includes ratings guides and episode synopses to help people decide, and we also provide a PIN-code system to ensure children can’t view certain content,” a Netflix spokesperson said.

There’s a melange of exclusive content, including Netflix original TV series such as Marvel’s Daredevil, Marco Polo and

Narcos, as well as Netflix original movies, documentaries, stand-up comedies and TV shows for children in addition to a broad variety of licensed programming.

There are also popular Hindi films such as Piku, Singh is Kinng, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Hate Story and Hum Saath Saath Hain, with a promise to add more “as the service grows in popularity”.

Upon its much-anticipated launch in India, Netflix is offering a free one-month subscription to users. After that, there are three monthly paid plans available, which are worth Rs.500, Rs.650 and Rs.800, which can be paid with an international credit card via Netflix, through the iTunes app store in most markets and via Paypal.

As per Netflix, watching films or TV shows on its site can exhaust about 1 GB of data per hour for each stream of standard HD video, and up to 3 GB per hour for each stream of HD video.

The golden night Esha Chanda

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icky Gervais’ crass humour might have left many in the industry bitter, but for the winners of the 73rd Golden Globes, the night was nothing less than a delight.

The Revenant triumphed at this year’s ceremony by taking away the top awards— best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best motion picture: drama—closely followed

by Ridley Scott’s The Martian. If the nomination of the movie in the category of best motion picture: comedy or musical and best performance by an actor in a motion picture: comedy or musical had proven to be controversial, the win left the social media questioning and mocking the Golden Globe’s decision.

Brie Larson won the best performance by an actress in a motion picture: drama for her emotionally wrenching performance in Room and Jennifer Lawrence took away the award of best performance by an actress in a motion picture: musical or comedy for Joy. Kate Winslet and Sylvester Stallone won awards for their performances in a supporting role in Steve Jobs and Creed respectively. George Miller was awarded the best director for Mad Max: Fury Road and the best screenplay went to Aaron Sorkin for Steve Jobs. Pixar’s Inside Out took away the award for best animated feature film and Son of Saul claimed the best foreign language category.

In the television circuit, Mr Robot won the best television series: drama and Mozart in the Jungle clinched the title of best television series: comedy. Jon Hamm of the famed Mad Men series won an award for his role as Don Draper and Taraji P Henson was awarded for performance in television series: drama for her role in Empire.

Despite that, it’s got the potential for being a game-changer, believes film and TV industry veteran Amit Khanna.

“It ushers in anytime, anywhere, any screen video on demand. As Netflix and similar services such as Amazon, Hulu and Hooq enlarge their repertoire along with the advent of true broadband and 4G, filmed entertainment will change forever,” Khanna, the former chairman of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Entertainment Limited said.

Netflix’s launch has created a great buzz among movie and TV show aficionados in the country, many of whom believe it’s a great move, yet data consumption and slow Internet speed could act as deterrents. Delhi-based event manager Saurabh Zutshi, 27, believes “it’s a pretty good deal”, but data consumption could be a restriction.

However, 19-year-old engineering student Nehal Shastri, raised an important concern regarding the expenses of broadband in India.

“It’s one thing to pay a subscription fee, but one will also have to pay significantly more for their broadband if they want

Asif Kapadia’s Amy earns two BAFTA nominations

B Other winners: Film Best Original Song—Writing’s on the Wall, Spectre Best Original Score—The Hateful Eight Television Best performance by an actress in a television series: comedy or musical—Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Best performance by an actor in a television series: comedy or musical— Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle Best performance by an actress in a miniseries or motion picture made for television—Lady Gaga, American Horror Story: Hotel Best performance by an actor in a miniseries or motion picture made for television—Oscar Issac, Show Me a Hero Best performance by an actor in supporting role a miniseries or motion picture made for television—Maura Tierney, The Affair Best performance by an actor in supporting role a miniseries or motion picture made for television—Christian Slater, Mr Robot Best miniseries—Wolf Hall

to replace their DTH services,” he said, while 23-year-old student Nikhil Warekar feels Netflix will face a “massive technical challenge” in India due to slow Internet speed.

“Majority of Indian Internet users can’t even stream YouTube videos without waiting for buffering. How would that feel while streaming a movie?” he commented. Time and again, the film industry in India has rued about the issue of piracy in the country. Will the launch of Netflix solve this issue?

Bangalore based digital specialist Sandesh Shenoy, 37, feels that Netflix might “make a dent into piracy”.

“The pricing is very attractive and any middle class person can afford it on a monthly fee basis. I definitely would be interested in subscribing to such a service,” he said.

Netflix also addresses the question regarding adjusting data usage, with four settings: Low (0.3 GB/hour), medium (SD: 0.7 GB/hour), High (Best video quality, up to 3 GB/hour for HD and 7 GB/hour for Ultra HD) and auto.

ritish film-maker of Indian origin Asif Kapadia’s documentary Amy, which is based on the life and death of singer Amy Winehouse, has been nominated in the Outstanding British Film and Documentary award catego Film Awards.

Amy, the highest-grossing British documentary of all time, gives an insight into the short, volatile and dichotomous life of the jazz diva, who was found dead on July 2011 from alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 at her home in Camden here. This film

encapsulates her personal and professional life till her death. In the Outstanding British Film category, Amy is up against The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, Brooklyn, The Lobster and 45 Years, read a statement on the official site of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

While in the Documentary category, the film has been nominated alongside Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land, Davis Guggenheim’s He Named Me Malala, Marlon Stevan Riley’s Listen to Me and Jennifer Peedom’s Sherpa.

Malala Yousafzai documentary gets BAFTA nomination

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e Named Me Malala—a documentary on the life of Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai—has landed a nomination in the Documentary category of the upcoming 69th British Academy Film Awards.

Directed by American film-maker Davis Guggenheim, the film opens a facet of Malala’s life on the big screen and tells an inspiring story of how a teenage girl, who was shot in the head on her way to school in Pakistan in 2012 by Taliban, is undeterred by the threats and continues her fight for girls’ right to education.

The documentary is nominated for an award alongside film-maker Asif Kapadia’s Amy that depicts the life and death of singer Amy Winehouse, Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land, Marlon Stevan Riley’s Listen to Me and Jennifer Peedom’s Sherpa,

read a statement on the official site of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

The 69th British Academy Film Awards will be held on February 14 at the Royal Opera House.

He Named Me Malala is also expected to get nominated in the same category at the upcoming 88th Academy Awards, whose final nominations will be announced on January 14.

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FEATURES

15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

A master storyteller

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Farida Master lives in the pulsating world of media. In her three-decade-long journey, she has written stories for leading publication back home and in New Zealand, handled the end-to-end production of newspapers and magazines and has published two books. In an exclusive interview with Indian Weekender, the Auckland-based senior journalist speaks about her stint in the industry, the differences between Indian and New Zealand media and the challenges she faced while working her recent book An Uncensored Life.

Esha Chanda IWK: You came to New Zealand with a vast experience in Indian media. How different do you think is the field in New Zealand compared to India?

Farida: It’s very different and still the same.

Most journalists from overseas find it difficult to find a foot-in-the-door but we are gradually getting there. Every time I see a byline of an Indian journalist in the local papers, I sit up and silently applaud them for making it out there. I do believe that immigrants are a brave breed of people who take on the challenge of starting afresh. It’s as if you have wiped your slate clean of all the goodwill, friends and contacts you have created in your country of birth.

There are a couple of reasons why it can be tough to find a toehold and it’s mainly because all papers demand New Zealand experience, and rightly so. Also, there aren’t as many publications, and the scribes who have been around love their jobs with a passion and will probably be around for the next 20 years. Unlike India, there is not much movement of journalists in the editorial departments of mainstream papers.

In terms of being similar, if you are a storyteller and you have the nose for sniffing up good stories, you will continue to do so whichever corner of the globe you may be in. It is a skill that will travel with you everywhere you go, through land or sea or shore.

IWK: What was the reason behind your move?

Farida: All of us are constantly looking for new adventures, and that probably was one of the reasons why I may have consented to move here, although the main moving force behind the relocation was my better half that was keen to live in a 100 per cent pure, green country with clean air to breathe. He’d heard it was a crime-free country and that the politicians are as clean as the air we breathe.

IWK: You’ve been in the industry for 30 years. Your journey so far.

Farida: Never a dull moment, I say! Not many people get to meet so many wildly interesting or inspiring people and have an opportunity to probe into their minds and ask many questions, all in the name of work.

One thing is for sure, as a journalist, I have interesting stories to tell.

Having started my career with Stardust in the early ’80s, there are still people who ask me about the matinee idols and the real life stories vs the reel ones. It was almost after 10 years that I stepped out of the ivory tower that film stars live in, to interview everyday people for the city magazine, Citadel that I later edited. My first reaction then was of surprise. I hadn’t realised till then that people are so easy to interview and want to share their stories of triumph and tribulations they’ve faced.

Being the editor of Pune Times of India with a huge readership was another whirlwind of activity, people and their

Farida Master write for asked me to write an article on the top Zoroastrians in the world who had contributed to humanity.

I contacted Zerbanoo Gifford for the article and the rest is history. In retrospect, both the books have

Farida: It’s about taking the leap of faith and grabbing opportunities that come your way. Nothing was premeditated. Dr K. B Grant, the founder of Ruby Hall Clinic, which is a state-of-the-art hospital in Pune, had asked me to write his biography someday since I had interviewed him over a period of time when I was editing Citadel.

Strangely, I finally took on the challenge after I resigned from Pune Times to move bag and baggage to New Zealand. I thought this would keep me busy for the first six months and give me time to introspect about the big shift.

However, fate had other things in store.

My dear mum suffered a stroke on the day I was about to leave for New Zealand.

She was hospitalised at Ruby Hall Clinic, where I knew all the doctors. I, of course, postponed my trip and wrote the biography whilst I practically lived at the hospital for a month.

On the other hand, An Uncensored Life, biography of Zerbanoo Gifford happened at a time, almost 10 years later when I asked the universe for an all-consuming challenge that would nourish my being. I was freelancing for a short while and the opportunity for the book came through then.

Society magazine that I used to occasionally

IWK: A great tip that has helped you achieve your goals.

Farida: When one door closes, the other opens.

Have faith in yourself and the universal spirit that makes things magically happen. Also, don’t be too cautious.

Grab every opportunity that comes your way.

Don’t look at the monetary factor. Do things to help others and the good karma pays you back a hundred fold.

Above all, listen to your inner voice and don’t be afraid to take chances.

IWK: Any advice for the ones who are new to the industry?

timeless stories that were food for the soul.

As was editing Society Fashion—an ode to high fashion, uplifting photography and creativity that rocked my being.

IWK: You have two books to your credit—The Making of a Legend and An Uncensored Life. What was your reason behind working on these books?

the intricate weaves in the fabric of her life, and how they unfolded. I am truly thankful to her for trusting me enough to reveal the innermost secrets and give me a glimpse of the most vulnerable moments of her life.

She now calls me Socrates, her philosopher and shrink and recommends everyone should have a biography written. I do hope that An Uncensored Life acts as a catalyst and enables readers to become gamechangers and make every moment count.

been a great learning curve for me.

IWK: What is the most challenging part while working on a book?

Farida: Working on the biography was simply mind-boggling, starting with Ms Gifford’s neatly arranged archives in the attic of her home. I had never seen anything like that before. There were hundreds of articles, written by journalists all over the world. Meticulously filed documents cards, notes, photographs, newspaper cuttings, elbowed for attention. At first glance, I thought it would take me a decade to go through the wall-to-wall cabinets that housed the documentation. A fiery lady who believes in the ‘power of now’, it was at times hard to keep up with her physically, mentally and emotionally. She was always on to planning her next big project before I could fully comprehend the last one.

Sometimes as she jumped from one chapter of her life to another, I had to figure out the timelines and sequence of events.

However, the most difficult part was digging deep to uncover those hurtful incidents in her life that she had locked away in the inner recesses of her mind. Not the kind to brood over past misgivings— since she is always on the go—I felt terrible about opening up old wounds to understand

Farida: Keep going, there are lots more opportunities in the media than there were earlier.

Remember, where there are people, there are stories. Think of an innovative idea, a good angle and approach editors with four to five ideas neatly keyed in. Most times, they will approve of at least one or two ideas.

Once you have got a foothold in a publication and established a relationship, the rest is relatively easy.

IWK: Do you have any other projects in the pipeline? Any exciting news/updates?

Farida: After a grand book release in India, which we recently had, An Uncensored Life published by HarperCollins India, followed by public readings in Auckland at the Swaminarayan Temple, Botany Library, the Auckland Art Gallery and Auckland Library—that Ranjna Patel kindly helped organise—there are plans to do more book readings locally, before we release the biography in the UK, US, Dubai and Mauritius. That is a lot of work and planning to do. But right now, I am just enjoying getting back to normalcy with my job at the Botany and Ormiston Times. Sometimes routine is good to take stock of things.

Two copies of An Uncensored Life are available with Indian Weekender. If you would like to receive one, please drop an e-mail to editor@indianweekender.co.nz Photo credit: Pradeep Shetty

www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015

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